What Dwells Inside An Eeveelution Story
by Psuedosaurus
Summary: With the Evolution Ritual drawing near, it is up to six Eevee to decide who they will evolve into and which Tribe they will pledge to. Supposedly the choice is entirely up to them but rumours of the Tribe Leaders pressuring the young Eevee into joining their Tribe run wild and for one young Eevee, orphaned and Tribeless, his decision seems to be the hardest of all.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 _Crap, crap, crap!_

Arric sprinted through the underbrush. His heart pounded in his chest and his breathing was heavy but he pushed on. His pawed feet barely made a sound as they hit the forest floor, darting around trees and bushes, leaping over fallen trees and brushing away the low branches with his clawed fingers. Looking up he saw that the bright circle of the full moon starting to reach the highest point of the sky and cursed to himself again.

 _I can't be late, just a little further!_

Dashing across a small stream, he made a quick left and bolted along a small forest path. It was well worn and he noticed that there were quite a few fresh tracks tonight. As he got closer to his destination he began to slow down until he was snaking his way through the trees, his dark brown fur making him almost invisible. The moon catching against his soft tan mane and tail tip as he slipped through the final overhanging branches and he stepped out in a large clearing. His long ears caught the sounds of the bustling bodies before him. Hundreds of Eeveelution occupied every corner of the clearing, their colourful coats catching the moonlight, the forehead gems of Espeon shining brightly.

At the head of the clearing on large plateau ledge, Arric spotted the Tribe Leaders casually chatting with one another or watching over the others in the clearing. Arric watched them carefully as he weaved through the crowd to find a spot to sit before the meeting started.

"Psst! Arric!"

Ears twitching to his name, he turned his amber eyes and found a young Eevee like himself beckoning to him. He recognised her as Grace from the Vaporeon Tribe. Her soft brown fur matched his own but her tail seemed thinner than his and her eyes dazzled more brightly. He slipped over to her and noticed three other Eevee with him around the same age. Tak was an Eevee from the Umbreon Tribe. He stood leaning against a tree with his arms crossed across his chest, lazily looking out at the rest of the Eeveelutions. Hannah and Bree, the Jolteon Tribe twins, giggled and chatted amongst each other, pointing out to each other of the things that caught their attention. Arric let his gaze fall on the last and youngest of the six Eevee in the group, Quin. He was of the Sylveon Tribe and was always so quiet that Arric would barely notice he was there. Quin sat on the ground, his eyes darting to each of the Tribe Leaders as if he wasn't sure who he should be showing the most respect to.

"So you finally decided to show up huh?" Grace elbowed him in the side.

Arric pushed her away, "Yeah, yeah, I was busy."

Grace clicked her tongue and opened her mouth to say something but the clearing suddenly buzzed alive with energy as the Tribe Leaders all stood and faced towards the awaiting audience below. Everyone took a spot closest to them and a quiet fell over the clearing. The Espeon Tribe Leader, Estella, stood forward, her pinkish purple pelt looked almost white in the moonlight and the dark red gem on her forehead eerily glinted. Her double headed tail flicked gently back and forth behind her as she raised her arms up.

"Welcome all Tribe Members." Her voice echoed and yet it almost felt like she was also speaking in the back of Arrics mind.

Espeon always creeped him out like that. He knew it was how they communicated with one another but it always felt like they were keeping secrets.

"Tonight we welcome our Six Fledglings who will soon perform in the Evolution Ritual on the next full moon." Her eyes fell upon Arric and the other Eevees and they could not help but make their way into the centre of the clearing as if the Espeon Tribe Leader willed them. "Tell me young ones, what is your Tribe and what to you intend to pledge?"

Grace jumped forward with a bounce in her step, her bushy tail swishing with excitement. "I am Grace of the Vaporeon Tribe! I intend to pledge to Karn, the Vaporeon Tribe Leader!"

Excited chatter and cheers rippled among the Vaporeon members, their rubbery bare skin ranging from the brightest skies to the colour of the deep oceans. The Vaporeon Tribe Leader nodded from his place, a sharp smirk planted on his face. Estella nodded and pointed to Hannah and Bree, motioning for them to answer.

"I am Hannah, and I come from the Jolteon Tribe. I plan to pledge myself to Volke of the Jolteon Tribe." She nodded towards the Jolteon Tribe Leader. Bree stood quietly beside her, forcing Hannah to nudge her, breaking her silence. "I am Bree of the Jolteon Tribe." She looked up at Volke before quickly looking down and mumbling, "I pledge to Volke of the Jolteon Tribe."

Murmurs harried their way across the clearing, Arric catching a few snippets here and there.

Grace shook her head softly, leaning towards Arric and murmured softly, "I hear Volke and Hannah are pressuring her to pledge Jolteon Tribe. I heard she wishes to pledge Vaporeon."

Arric shook his head, "No one should be harassed into their choice."

He gave Bree a sympathetic look before Estella cleared her throat, motioning for the clearing to quiet and for Tak to continue. Tak merely shrugged, his brown fur was slightly darker than the rest of them. "I'm Tak. Umbreon Tribe. I'm sticking with Lycia of Umbreon Tribe."

Lycia nodded curtly towards Tak but the rest of her gave away nothing else of her satisfaction. Her black fur shadowed her perfectly when the clouds covered the moon, only her bright yellow circles glowing dimly gave her away.

Estella dropped her eyes to Quin, who was sitting at the feet of the group looking completely terrified. A small moment passed but Quin did not move, frozen in place as all eyes were on him. Grace huffed to herself, before looping her arms under Quins and lifting him to his feet, pushing him forward. He looked sheepishly up at the Tribe Leaders.

"I am Quin of the Sylveon Tribe." He squeaked. Vesper snorted through his muzzle and Quin jumped wincing as he continued quickly, "And I wish to pledge myself to Karn, Vaporeon Tribe."

Karn raised an eyebrow but kept silent and Estella motioned towards Arric and he felt the eyes of all the Eeveelutions upon him. Each Tribe Leader looked down on him and he felt a lump forming in his throat. Clearing it, he spoke.

"I am Arric, I have no Tribe. I was an orphan as you all know." He flicked his ears back as the murmurs began in the crowd. He paused, searching each of the Tribe Leaders. Estella, Volke, Lycia and Karn watched him closely. Vesper, the Flareon Tribe Leader scowled down at him, almost making him want to flinch back, while Hiro, the Sylveon Tribe Leader lazed over his seat, hardly paying any attention to the meeting at all. His eyes fell upon Nia and Avice, the Leafeon and Glaceon Tribe Leaders. They watched him curiously, Nia with a warm look and Avice with her usual cold, silent glare.

"I have yet to decide who I am to pledge."

Vesper snorted his disgust and growled softly, his flame coloured mane blazing brightly in the moonlight. Estella ignored him and motioned towards the crowd once more for quiet.

"In a few months' time, the full moon will return and the decision shall be made. We await your decisions but until then, you are to live in each tribe for one week to inform yourselves better as is our custom."

She pauses, glancing at the other Leaders for protest, Arric thought he saw a strange look cross her eyes but only for a brief moment before looking forward once more when none was taken.

"Now go, we will meet here again at the next full moon and by then." Estella looked directly at Arric, locking her azure eyes onto his and her next words he felt rumble loudly in his mind as well as in his ears, "I hope you have reached the right decision."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Fog surrounded Arric, he could not see any further than three feet in front of him. The mist coiled around him and no matter what direction he looked, he saw only darkness.

"Hello!"

Arrics' voice rang out into the cold darkness and he listened with baited breath for an answer. Nothing. He could not decide which direction to head. He could smell nothing, the ground beneath his paws felt like solid stone, not an ounce of grass to tickle his toes. He began walking forward to try and see if he could find anything in this place. Arric could not remember how he even got here. He had only opened his eyes and found himself here.

"Is anyone here?"

Again his voice rang out and a low growl answered. A cold feeling began to crawl its way up his spine, sending the fur all over his body to stand on end and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Tak?" Arric called.

The growl grew louder and he could hear the dragging steps of something large in the darkness. He could suddenly _feel_ the massive creature, shrouded in shadows where Arric could not even catch a glimpse of it. Its presence filled the atmosphere around him. Claws scraped against stone as it drew closer, the growl growing in a snarl, deep inside the creature's throat. Arric turned on his heels and ran, his heart hammering in his chest. He had to get away, anywhere than where that creature was.

"Arric!"

The creatures roar thundered in his ears as if it were right behind him. Arric screamed, willing his legs to go faster but they felt like he was trudging through mud. The darkness began to envelop him, closing in on him. His chest felt like it was being squeezed and every breath become harder and harder to take in.

"Arric! Wake up!"

Suddenly confused, Arric turned to face the creature but his legs did not want to work and he stumbled, falling to the ground and waking with a start. His fur was slick with sweat and his heart still pounded in his chest. Arric looked around him and saw that he was back at the clearing, the morning sun poking its rays through the tree tops.

"Arric!"

The sound of his name made him jump and he looked up from the ground to find Vesper, the Flareon Tribe Leader, glaring down at him. His fur coat coloured like the blaze on an inferno, Arric could almost feel the heat from the colour itself.

"Yes Master Vesper?"

Arric rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his head still groggy from the nightmare but was pleased that he had been awoken before the horrid creature had gotten to him. Stretching out, Arric watched as Vesper sighed angrily, leaning on the cool bark of the tree next to him. His amber eyes blazed with a fury that Arric had come to know was its usual look, whether he was angry or content. Vesper, crossed his arms across his chest, his thick bushy tail, a much lighter shade of red, twitched with agitation.

"I didn't bring you into this tribe to give it a bad name boy." Vespers voice dripped with anger.

Arric dropped his gaze to the forest floor below. Vespers' mate had found him wandering alone in the forest as a child, no recollection of where he had come from. She brought him back and had convinced Vesper to take him into the Flareon Tribe and Vesper had made it clear from the start that they were only taking him in but he was never going to be one of them until Arric was a Flareon himself.

"I understand Master Vesper." His gaze and voice still low, "What is it that you wish from me?"

Vesper raised an eyebrow before striding over to Arric and placed a hand on his shoulder. His touch was warm like most Flareon, a natural fire blazing inside them. The Flareon stood a full two heads taller than him and compared to him, Vesper was a mountain of a Pokemon, with wide shoulders, thick legs and a well-muscled body from a hard days labour.

"I would have figured after all Lea and I had done for you, you would have considered pledging for Flareon. I understand it is a choice you have to make yet…." Vesper sighed, letting his voice trail off and his arm drop. Turning away he started to walk off, "You are to take the other five to the Flareon Territory by tonight. See that you do."

Arric nodded as he watched the Flareon leave, balling his hands into fists. It was not his fault he did not know which Tribe to pledge too. None felt right, he had not even been to any of the other territories, a plan Arric suspected was for him to pledge Flareon because he knew no better. Turning on his heel he headed out of the clearing and towards where the other five were preparing themselves for the journey ahead. He found that they had already been up for a while waiting for him. Arric felt his cheeks burn red but he shook himself before addressing the group.

"Alright, are we ready to leave?"

Grace bounced over to him, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and the others made their way over. Arric nodded and faced towards the tall mountains where the Flareon Territory was and began walking with the others following.

"So we are headed to Flareon Territory first?" Quin piped from the back of the pack.

Arric looked over his shoulder at him. The small Eevee clutched to his pack with a white knuckled grip and Arric could tell that he was not used to travelling, let alone across the continent from territory to territory.

"That is where Master Vesper told me to take you so I would assume so. He wants us to get there by nightfall, so the pace will have to be a bit quick. Are you alright to do that?"

Quin nodded and quickened his pace to walk next to Grace, who smiled warmly at him. Tak took place beside Arric while Hannah and Bree took up the rear. Arric looked over at Tak and noticed that he was slightly taller, had much darker brown fur and his eyes were golden. He never seemed to have an expression other than calm content and Arric assumed it was the Umbreon influence. They were known to be cold and expressionless, preferring the night to day.

"I heard Master Vesper grumbling to Madame Lycia about you last night."

Arric winced and then shrugged, "I'm a disappointment to the Flareon Tribe, tell me something I don't know."

Tak glanced at him with a questioning look, "Madame Lycia assured him you would make the decision best for you. Her views on you are surprisingly positive."

"Well I appreciate it."

He shrugged and left Arric with his thoughts. The group made it halfway towards Flareon Territory before breaking for lunch at a nearby steam. The forest was becoming sparser as they headed towards the mountains and the air was becoming more dry and hot. Together they ate the fruits they found in the forest before leaving, sitting on the cool grass to rest. Grace and Hannah were cooling their feet in the small stream, while the others sat nearby in a small group.

"Does anyone know which tribes we will be seeing in order?" Hannah asked as she kicked gently in the water. Her light tanned mane had been decorated with feathers and beads, twisted into the hair that draped her face.

"I think it is Flareon, Vaporeon, Glaceon, Leafeon, Jolteon, Umbreon, Sylveon and finally Espeon." Arric answered, remembering Vespers numerous lectures on the small pilgrimage they were to take before the Evolution Ritual.

Grace groaned and flopped herself on her back in the grass, "Why do we even need to go on this trip anyway? We already know who we are pledging for."

"Not everyone." Quin glanced nervously at Arric.

Grace propped herself up on her elbow facing towards Arric. He ignored her questioning looks as he munched on an apple.

"Well? Why don't you know who you are pledging for?"

Arric shook his head, finishing his apple before looking at her sideways and shrugging. She puffed her cheeks pouting and plopped back on her back again. "We could save ourselves a trip and skip visiting the Sylveon Tribe. We all know no one here is going to pick that."

Arric raised his brow in surprise, Tak snorted his disgust and Hannah whirled on Grace, "First it's tradition and second that is very disrespectful to Quin."

Everyone turned to Quin who had visibly shrunk back smaller than he could ever look, opening and closing his mouth finding something to say. Grace looked apologetic towards him, "I'm sorry Quin. I just thought since you were pledging Vaporeon, it would be less stressful for you to get the trip over and done with. I know travelling doesn't sit well with you."

Hannah scoffed angrily, "You are only pressuring him because you want him to join Vaporeon, you can't do that."

"You're one to talk Hannah." Bree chided.

Hannah glared at Bree, "Come on Bree, you know Jolteon is the best, you live there! They are strong, fast, powerful, why else would you want to pick anyone else, especially _Vaporeon._ What is so great about being able to swim and breathe underwater when you have the power of the sky at your fingertips?"

Arric and Tak gave each other an awkward glance but refused to say anything. Quin wished the ground would just swallow him up. Grace huffed loudly, "Vaporeon are strong, and they command the oceans, lakes and rivers. We are calm under pressure and contribute food to the other tribes willingly! What does Jolteon do? They bully and hide away and are nothing but troublemakers!"

Bree, Hannah and Grace argue further until finally Bree stands up, her fists shaking in anger at her sides. She points at Hannah, hackles raised, "I am sick to death of you and Master Volke pushing me to pledge Jolteon!" She quickly points to Grace, "You have no right to push a pledge on anyone, especially not me or Quin! Maybe I want to be something else but it is _my_ choice. I'll pledge for whoever I want and I'll be darned if you two are going to convince me otherwise!"

She stormed off a small way from the group and slumped down heavily by the stream, crossing her arms across her knees and plopping down her head. Hannah looked down at the water sadly and fell silent. Grace rolled over to face her back to the group and the three boys finished their meal in silence. Arric finally stood and brushed his hands on his legs, clearing his throat with an awkward cough in an attempt to grab his friend's attention.

"I think it's time to get going if we are really going to make it before nightfall."

Tak, Quin, Grace and Hannah gathered their things while Arric walked over to Bree. Her face slightly damp from tears and she sniffs, wiping her face as Arric approaches.

"For what it's worth Bree, the fact that you want to choose something you want is admirable."

Bree smiled up at Arric, stood and shook her fur out before joining the group. They continued on in silence with Bree walking beside Arric, Hannah with Tak followed by Grace and Quin. They followed the stream towards the mountain, each one of them lost in their own thoughts.

Arric led them across the stream and up a small path that started to make its way up the mountains. The path began to get steeper and rockier, little vegetation could be found and by the time they reached the peak of the small mountain, the group found themselves out of breath.

"How far is this village Arric?" Hannah asked between breaths.

The sun had started to set and Arric groaned to himself, knowing they probably would not be making it by nightfall unless they pushed themselves. "At least a few more hours. Come on."

Carefully he led them down the other side as the air around them started to heat up, making their efforts even harder, their fur sleek with sweat, throats dry from the air. Night fell as they rounded the bend and Arric could hear the sounds of his home village up ahead. Quickening his pace he took the group through a small archway that framed the entrance to the village. Huts and small buildings made of stone and wood lined the small walking paths in the canyon of the mountain. The walls of the canyon reached high up into the sky, small paths leading to ledges and small buildings could be seen built into the sides of the canyon above. Flareon of all shapes and sizes could be seen busying themselves with their nightly rituals, lighting fires, cooking and chatting with each other. Their blazing coats ranged from the deepest scarlet to the brightest oranges. It was like a sunset moving across the village. The Flareon stared as Arric led them along the main path towards Vespers' home.

"You guys live in a canyon?" Quin asked with awe, his eyes wide as he took in the ledges that surrounded them.

Arric pointed to the houses that were built into the sides of the canyon ledges, "Most of the buildings up there are where Flareon live and more communal areas are down here, to accommodate for visitors. It can be a little harrowing for the other Eeveelutions to scale the sides as easily as we can."

They passed a large kitchen area with many stone tables and chairs lined under the shade of a veranda for where crowds could sit and eat. The smell of cooked meals wafted out, making their mouths water. Arric led them down a smaller path and they soon came to Vespers' home. A large building made of stone and wood, a small chimney jutting from the roof. Lea and Vesper greeted them as they arrived, a warm smile spread across Leas' face as she hugged each of them. Her large body enveloping Quin in a tight embrace, "Oh this one is so tiny and adorable Vesper!"

Vesper shook his head with a soft chuckle as Quin pried himself away from the large Flareon female, looking dazed and clapped Arric on the shoulder, "You actually made it at nightfall. I was expecting you in the morning."

He sized up the six of them critically before spreading his arms, motioning to the grand canyon around him, his voice boomed with a large grin on his muzzle, "Welcome to the Flareon Tribe!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The group were settled into a small building close to the centre of the village. It was one of the few buildings that were offered to guests when they visited the Flareon Village. Made of stone mined from the mountain, with three rooms holding two small beds each, a washroom and a small living area, it was big enough to hold the six comfortably without them feeling like they were in each other's way. The roof itself was made of tiled wooden slats that allowed airflow and kept the heat of the volcanic area out of the house.

Arric strode into the house early the next morning, returning from Vespers home that he had been summoned to as dawn crept over the canyon. He had slept much better this time around, the previous night's dreams still haunted him but his mood had improved. Vesper had asked, in reality ordered, him to escort the others around the village and try to persuade them to pledge Flareon.

"Make pledging Flareon sound like a good investment. Sell it. We all know that Flareon are strong, cunning and resourceful. Show them that we are the best bet."

Vespers' voice echoed in his mind from their conversation and it only made him feel sour. Arric knew the Flareon were as Vesper described but making their futures nothing more than a sales pitch made his stomach knot. It did not feel right to push the others into something so important that he himself had no idea on. Sighing to himself, Arric ran a clawed hand through his short spiked light brown hair and called out to his friends,

"Hey guys, Master Vesper asked me to show you guys around the village. He figured you might want to check out the kitchen for breakfast, have a wander through the artisan area and finish up at the blacksmiths."

The others gathered and Arric led them towards the kitchen, the others taking in the sights around them. The kitchen was not far off from the visitor buildings and it was not long before Arric could smell the sweet scent of cooked meat and fruits wafting towards them. His stomach growled as he rounded the corner and they came upon the large building with the stone tables and chairs they had seen yesterday. This time, the building was full of life with Flareon gathering themselves a meal or sitting with a small group chatting away happily. Arric led his group inside and towards the buffet area where a delicious sweep of various meats, fruits and vegetables were laid out before them.

"Grab a plate and fill her up." Arric instructed as he took a clay plate for himself. "There is always plenty. The kitchen staff are usually good the food is always delicious."

He watched to make sure that all his friends had grabbed a plate before setting a few cooked fruits and vegetables on his own plate. After gaining a small hoard for himself, he turned to look for a table big enough for them all. Spotting one near the far corner, he slipped past the other Flareon, many of who towered over he and his friends, and sat down before it could be taken by anyone else. His friends joined him, Hannah and Bree made an effort to sit away from each other, while Grace plopped herself down next to Arric, picking at her food quietly. Quin nibbled nervously, taking in the scenery around him, it was clear being in such a crowded place affected him, while Tak grazed on his food lazily next to him.

"So how come they have a communal kitchen instead of preparing their own food at home?" Bree asked between mouthfuls.

Arric shrugged, "I guess this is the way it has always been done. It is a roster system; everyone has to have a turn sometime. It is like this way with most of the work around here."

Arric pointed to a smaller Flareon gathering left over plates and small clay cups from empty tables before scurrying behind the kitchen counter, slipping into the back. "Even clean-up is rostered. No one really minds and even Master Vesper and Madame Lea are rostered. They have always believed that everyone works together and so there are no disputes over who wants to be what, in the end there is a job for everyone."

"An efficient model of employment." Quin nodded as he watched two more Flareon clean up the tables in between the chaos of breakfast.

They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence before clearing the table and returning their dishes. The Flareon at the wash basin smiling at them as she scrubbed the dishes before passing them to another to dry. Arric led them out of the building and down the road toward a type of marketplace area. Each building that lined the large courtyard was relatively small and similar in design with a wooden slat roof, stone walls with a shop front under cover. Though instead of selling items, each building housed a different item production. In one, a Flareon sat on a small stool with a pottery wheel in front of her. Her hands were covered in clay as she shaped the putty before her, her paw paddling away at the foot to make the wheel spin. Various pottery stacked the shelves around her, with a kiln inside for finished products. In another building a Flareon was chiselling stone from a large boulder into what looked to be a start of a table. His tongue stuck out at the side of his mouth as he chipped away at the stone carefully in order to made the complicated curve on the tables legs.

"Here is where artisans of all kinds come to do their work." Arric spread out his arms to address the courtyard.

They wandered to each building and watched each artisan for a few minutes impressed with each of their work. Once they had circled the courtyard once, Arric gathered them to take them to the blacksmith workshop close to the mountain itself. Hannah looked back at the pottery workshop with a longing look in her eyes.

"Could we perhaps give some of this stuff a try? Do we need to go to the blacksmiths now?"

Arric shook his head, "Master Vesper wanted to make sure you guys had a full tour first." He gave a small smile, "We have a few days here, I'm sure you can have a go at any of the crafts before we leave."

The group murmured with excitement as Arric led them down the road that led towards the blacksmith workshop. It was a fair way from the village itself and was much closer to the mountain itself. As they got closer to the blacksmith the canyon opened up into a large enclosed area with the mountain reaching up towards the sky. A large workshop sat to the east side of the mountain base with a small mine at the centre. Flareon pushed carts of stone towards the building to the east, dropping them into large containers that sat to the side of the building.

Arric headed for the eastern building, the sound of clanging of stone and metal rang in his ears as the group drew closer. The building itself was large, made mostly of stone with a wooden roof and pillars making up the structure. To one side there were stone slabs with various tools sitting on them. Most of the tools included those used for farming and crafting, some were spears meant for hunting. To the other side, small anvils were set up, with a couple of large water tubs for dipping the finished tools. A large forge that took up one side of the workshop burned brightly, a few Flareon causally heating the coals inside with their power in order to keep it to the right temperature for melting stone and metals. The heat that radiated from the furnace was almost too much for the group to bear and they stopped short of the entrance, fur already slick with sweat.

"Orion!" Arric called out into the workshop.

A humongous Flareon sauntered from one side of the forge, his thick, bushy fur the colour of the forge fire itself. He wore large gloves and his face was covered with a thick leather mask to protect his face from the intense heat. Spotting Arric and the other Eevee, he lifted his mask revealing a face covered in small scars, the fur left was beginning to whiten with age, his long ears had several chunks missing and his bright red hair had been trimmed into a short Mohawk to keep it out of his face.

"Arric and friends." His deep voice was husky with age as he greeted them, "Came to see the workshop I see."

Arric nodded and stepped into the workshop, making sure to keep away from the forge. A few other Flareon were placing coals into the forge, while some poked at the metals and stones that were slowly heating up. Orion looked over the six Eevee, judging them each before letting out a short grunt.

"Come. I will show you how we work."

Grabbing a pair of heavy metal tongs, he picked up a small piece of metal, burning red in the forge fire. He placed it on a small anvil.

"Flareon are renowned for their craftsmanship skills in the forge. We are the sole providers for farming, hunting and protection tools."

He grabbed a hammer and gave the metal a few strikes, shaping the metal before taking the tongs and placing it into the forge to heat it again, "Without our work, many of the other tribes would find it difficult to protect themselves or harvest food."

Taking the metal piece back and placing it back onto the anvil he striked it a few more times. "The key to our success is our ability to control fire." He took a deep breath and blew a stream of fire towards the metal, allowing him to mould the metal into a small sickle. When he was satisfied he tossed the sickle into the tub of water next to the anvil, watching as the steam hissed at him. "As you learn to control your fire more, the hotter it gets and soon the forge is more of a metal warmer than anything else."

Chuckling to himself, he dipped his hand into water and pulled out the finished sickle, its metal gleaming in the sunlight. "You have to be careful though not to get burned. It's easy to get so lost in your work and I've known a couple of Flareon almost take another out when they weren't careful."

Orion shuffled over to one of the racks and placed the sickle ready to be taken to be fitted for a handle. He looked over to the group, waving a hand to the rest of the workshop, "Take a look, handle the tools, strike some metal if you like. Just don't grab any of the metal without asking another Flareon first. Safety you know."

With a nod he sauntered off into the back of the workshop, leaving Arric and the others to themselves. Bree headed into the workshop storage area to have a better look at the tools they made while Hannah followed Grace towards the mine chatting excitedly. "I want to see how they mine the stone. I hear they use their fire power to cut pieces like a laser!"

Tak, Quin and Arric headed closer to the forge, handling some of the tools that were recently made. A Flareon explained how each tool was shaped, how different temperatures affected the quality and how some metals had to be heated more in order to be able to be worked with.

Arric studied some of the tools and took one of the spear heads in his hands. It was jagged on the sides, perfect for taking down larger prey. "Orion mentioned tools for protection. Is it mainly spears made or are other weapons made?"

The Flareon fidgeted on his feet, refusing to meet Arric in the eye, "Orion tells us we are not allowed to make those types of weapons. Master Vesper has ordered only Orion is allowed to make anything remotely that powerful to cause harm to others."

He looked up at him, a serious look on his face, he leaned in closer, his voice almost a whisper. "You didn't hear it from me but I heard that Orion has been working on some weapons imbued with fire power so that Master Vesper can….."

His voice trailed off as his eyes locked onto something behind Arric, his face suddenly paling as he shouted, "Stop! You can't move that or it will cause it to coll-"

A loud crash followed and Arric spun around to find that a small portion of the roof had collapsed into the forge. Hot coals flew into the workshop, causing the Flareon, Tak and Arric to scramble out the way. Quin scurried from underneath the collapsed roof, eyes wide with shock. The roof caught fire almost immediately, the coals setting fire to the area inside the workshop where they had flown. The dry air and wind causing the fire to quickly spread, engulfing the workshop in smoke and flames. Arric and Tak followed the Flareon out of the workshop with Quin following behind. The Flareon turned on Quin, "What were you thinking?!"

Quin shook with fear, "I, I, I just wanted to take a look at the metal that was in the forge, I thought it was more steady!"

They watched in horror as Flareon scrambled for safety away from the workshop, its fire blazing in the sun. Flareon raced to try and put the fire out with their own power, some throwing water in hope to put it out. Hannah and Grace joined the others, looking up at the fire as it swelled before them consuming the blacksmith workshop completely. Hannah suddenly spun in a circle and stopped to look at the four of them, her eyes wide, "Where's Bree?"

Arric felt his blood run cold as he turned to face the fire, "She followed Orion into the workshop." Hannah wailed and went to race into the burning building, Grace wrapped her arms around her to stop her. "Bree! Bree!"

Arric and Tak shared a look, nodded and both sprang into action. The two them raced towards the building. Covering his face, Arric watched as the smoke swallowed Tak before him, filling his eyes, ears and mouth as he followed. Dropping low, he crawled along the floor, Tak completely disappearing in the smoke and fire around them. His lungs burned, his chest felt like it was on fire. He pushed on calling out for Bree. The roof of the workshop splintered before him, making him roll to the side, feeling the intense heat of the fire burn into his hands. Screaming he whacked his hands in the sand below, trying to put out them out. Suddenly his hands hit against something, it felt solid and furry. Without another thought he grabbed the body and began to drag it out, the building beginning to collapse around him. His eyes watered from the smoke and the roar of the fire around him made it nearly impossible to figure out which way to go. Gritting his teeth, he hauled the body out with him and gave a cry of relief as he felt the heat lessen as he finally made it outside. Grace helped him drag the body the rest of the way and once they had laid them on the ground, another Flareon grabbed his hands and shoved them into a bucket of water. Pain shot through his fingers and he hollered in pain but soon the throbbing eased to a manageable ache. Arric looked over to find that he had dragged out Orion's unconscious body, the other Flareon preparing to load him onto a stretcher to take him for medical help.

"Where's Tak?"

His voice was hoarse and he coughed, his chest and throat burning from the smoke. Grace patted him on the back, offering him a drink of water, which he took eagerly. He looked up at her, her eyes full of worry and tears.

"He managed to get Bree out. He." She choked on a sob, "Oh Arric, he looked pretty bad when they carted him off."

Arric coughed again, the feeling of smoke in his lungs wouldn't shift and he gladly took another drink of water when Grace offered. Around him the Flareon were still trying to get the blaze under control, Arric watching as the flames grew higher.

"Stand back! Get out of my way!"

Vesper arrived with Lea and the two of them headed for the group of them. Lea gasped at the sight of them, taking Quin in her arms. He looked absolutely terrified, his face pale and visibly shaking. She soothed him and stepped further back from the blaze, motioning for Grace and Arric to follow. Grace helped Arric stand and they watched as Vesper strode towards the burning building, a fire in his eyes.

"Master Vesper wait!" Arric croaked but his voice barely made it above a whisper.

Lea clicked her tongue, shaking her head, "Don't you worry about him sweetie. This is child's play to him."

Confused, Arric could only watch as Vesper stood before the flames, reaching out his hands and letting the fire lick at the tips of his fingers. Arric gasped in awe as Vesper breathed in, the fire siphoning towards him, enveloping him and finally steaming up from him, turning into vapour. The smoke cleared and all that was left was the burnt out husk of the blacksmith workshop. Vesper turned and glared at him, Quin flinching further into the fur of Lea, who put a hand around him. Vesper reached out and grabbed Quin, ripping him out of her grasp by the scruff and growling,

"What in the world have you done!" His voice roared through the enclosed canyon. Everyone was silent. Quin looked like he was about to faint, his eyes wide with fear and he tried to shrink away from Vesper, wriggling in his grip. He opened his mouth to try and speak but only stammered words.

"Useless Eevee! You have caused an amount of damage that will take weeks to repair and you can't even explain yourself!"

Tears formed in Quins eyes, he struggled against Vespers grip but the Flareon held him firm, his claws digging into the scruff of his neck.

"You had better hope you pledge Sylveon because you can be damned that I'll take someone as useless as you as a Flareon!"

Arric stepped towards them, Lea grabbed his arm to warn him not to get involved but he pushed her away.

"Master Vesper, it was my fault. I was not watching when I was supposed to. Quin was only trying to learn Flareon ways better."

He broke out in coughing fit as speaking became harder to manage. Vesper looked between the two of them. Lea sidled up next to her mate and murmured soft words to the large Flareon. Vespers shoulders twitched with anger and with a snarl, threw Quin to the ground, storming towards Arric, staring him down, close enough for Arric to feel the heat of Vespers breath on his face.

"You need to learn the difference between owning up to your own mistakes and taking responsibility for your friends. It might cost you your life one day."

He looked at Quin quivering on the ground and Arric felt the Flareons face and stance soften slightly. Vesper growled, running a hand down his face and through his dark red dreadlocks before turning to Arric.

"Get that Eevee out of my sight."

He turned and headed back to the village, calling out over his shoulder,

"I expect your presence at my home tomorrow Arric. Don't disappoint me again."

Grace put a hand on Arric's shoulder to help him and Lea put her hands around Quin, squeezing him gently and comforting him like a small child. "It's alright sweetie, everyone makes mistakes. I always warned him not to make the roof of wood but the silly Flareon never listened."

Arric watched as tears began to stream down Quins face, his face burrowing into the Flareon's fur and Arric felt his heart break for him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

It was two days before Arric was well enough to leave the small medical building, his burns had healed enough that they only ached mildly and it was four days until Tak was finally well enough to the leave. His burns had been extensive, most of it was down the left side of his upper body, bandages were still wrapped across his chest and his upper arms. The Eevee had the same expressionless look on his face when Arric came to visit him the past few days but he could tell in his eyes he was in pain.

"Are you all set?" Arric asked as he gathered his pack on his back.

Tak nodded pulling his own pack on, weighing it on his left shoulder before shifting it fully onto his right. Once adjusted he straightened up, ready to leave. Hannah, Bree and Quin waited in the doorway with Grace shifting on her toes impatiently. They headed for the entrance of the village to begin their trip towards the Vaporeons territory, eager to move out of the constant dry heat of the canyon.

Vesper and Lea met them at the entrance, Lea sweeping them all into a tight hug before plopping them down. She smiled warmly at them, wishing them a safe trip and to not get into too much trouble before starting back towards the village. Vesper eyed Tak carefully, judging whether the Eevee was well enough to travel but finally gave a nod of approval before turning to Arric.

"Head towards the coastline and even you should have no trouble finding the Vaporeon territory."

His gaze drifted over the six Eevee, taking in each of them, "Whoever you may pledge for, remember Flareon will always accept you." His eyes stopping on Quin who shrunk under his gaze, "No matter your past mistakes."

Quins eyes sank to the ground and Hannah placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Grace cleared her throat, bowing her head quickly at Vesper, "Thank you for letting us stay Master Vesper, we should be off now."

Vesper nodded and with a final gesture of goodbye, he left the small group at the entrance, heading back to the village himself. The group watched him leave silently before Grace huffed to herself, adjusting her pack and striding forward.

"Let's go, we have wasted enough time already."

Arric raised a brow at the others and Bree shrugged before the group followed behind Grace, who was almost jogging ahead of them. Hannah and Bree followed while Arric, Quin and Tak took up the rear. Arric supported Tak when he felt the Eevee stumble beside him. Grace never faltered with her fast pace and soon Arric felt himself stumbling as they made their way down the mountain towards the coastline. The air began to cool down and vegetation returned, night falling just as they reached the outskirts of the forest that marked the turn towards the coastline.

"Arric." Quin quietly hissed to him, pointing behind them.

Arric looked back to see that Tak had stopped, his body hunched over in pain as he leant on a large stone. His tongue panted and his face was twisted in a grimace as his other hand held his side. Arric sprinted back to him with Quin trailing behind. Tak growled as they approached his voice edged with pain,

"I am fine Arric. I only…... need a moment to….. to rest."

Arric paused, waiting for Tak to catch his breath, wondering what his next move would be. He knew Tak was putting up a front. Clearly in pain and pushed at Graces fast pace, they should have rested several times hiking down that mountain and now Tak was paying for it. Tak took a deep breath and straightened, ready to move again and took a few steps before stumbling to his hands and knees with a pained groan.

"Arric he can't go any further without rest, especially at the rate Grace is going!" Quin pointed out, kneeling beside Tak, "She will have us running all night soon!"

Arric bit his lip and looked back at the girls who had not noticed they had stopped and were almost already out of sight in the night. Grace was hurrying for a reason and Arric suspected it was because they were already three days behind. They should have been in the Vaporeons territory yesterday. Throwing his pack at his feet, he cupped his hands and called to the others,

"Grace! Hannah! Bree! Come back, it's time to set up camp!"

His voice echoed out in the night and he watched as the three stopped clearly discussing something amongst each other. Grace waved her hands around in frustration, arguing with Hannah, who had both hands planted on her hips. Bree looked towards their group and seeing Tak on the ground she raced towards them, which seemed to decide for the other two as they followed quickly behind her. Bree knelt next to Tak, helping Quin pick him up and leant his back up against the stone. His chest heaved with each breath, trying to shoo Bree away as she felt along his bandages for any signs of tears or bloodstains. Quin left to find some wood to create a campfire with Hannah while Grace stormed into camp, threw her pack to the ground and sat on it, crossing her arms across her chest.

Quin and Hannah returned with enough kindling and wood to start a fire, which Arric made short work with. Vesper had made sure that he knew how to create some fire and even more so how to do so without fire power. Arric had to admit that it came in handy. With the fire ready, Hannah prepared a small stew and soon they were all eating quietly. Bree tried to help Tak eat but the Eevee growled at her, grumbling that he was fine and he did not need her pampering. She chuckled and left him to eat while digging into her own.

After finally settling herself and succumbing to the fact that they were not going to travel any more for the night, Grace threw broken up sticks into the fire. A scowl crossed her face and she had a dark look in her eyes as she occasionally glared at the others as if it were their fault for not moving faster. If they did not reach the Vaporeon territory by tomorrow, then they will have no time for her to show them how great they are! Her friends will never want to pledge Vaporeon with the little time they spent there. It was unfair and it only made her blood boil more until she could not take it anymore and threw her hands up in frustration.

"You know this whole Evolution Ritual is ridiculous. If we don't have enough time at each village then how are we going to know who to go for! If you guys weren't so slow, we would be in the Vaporeon village by now!"

The others watched her silently, Quin fidgeting with his small bowl, Bree shaking her head. Hannah glared at her but did not speak. Arric took a breath to speak but Grace cut him off,

"I know Quin didn't mean to start the fire and you had to rest your wounds but honestly, would it kill you to speed up a bit? I mean, we got to spend extra time at Flareon, so sure you would be happy with that Arric. It only seems unfair that we will be spending no more than two maybe three days at the Vaporeon village before moving on."

Silence fell over the camp until a short snort cut through the air. Tak watched her with a cold stare, his eyes reflecting the fires light in a deep pool of black. Arric thought he recognised Lycia's cold glare in his face and wondered if the two were related.

"You act as if I enjoy struggling to breathe." Tak voice was low and laboured, "As if I want to rush to your precious Vaporeon Tribe at the expense of my health."

Grace puffed her cheeks in anger, "That is _not_ what I am saying Tak."

Tak laughed, it was bitter, slick with ice and Arric started to feel his fur rise on the back of his neck, "Isn't it? You want to blame someone. Well blame the damned Flareon." He leant forward, his teeth glinting in the firelight, "But I won't be blaming Arric for being part of a tribe that clearly doesn't respect him and I sure won't be blaming Quin for destroying something that was obviously a stupid idea to begin with. Wooden pillars and roof near a forge full of fire hotter than the volcano itself? Stupid."

His words dripped from his mouth like venom, Quin backed away clearly afraid and Arric wondered if this was the influence of being around the Umbreon. Their calm demeanour was one thing but they were known to be downright cold when it came to the way the other tribes worked.

"So blame them for setting us back. I won't be pledging Flareon any time soon, heck I would rather pledge Sylveon if it were a choice between the two, no offense Quin."

Quin shook his head with a downward gaze and Grace held Taks gaze for a long time before sighing and returning to flick sticks into the fire. An awkward silence fell over the camp and soon the group broke off to their sleeping gear.

It was a while before Arric fell asleep and when he finally did he found himself walking the same foggy atmosphere as before. This time he saw the faint outline of a volcano in the distance, the lava oozing from the top and dripping down the side to pool at the base. He could feel the heat from where he stood and for a brief moment he found himself walking towards it in lack of knowing any other direction. He then suddenly remembered the creature from before and froze, his heart pounding in his chest. His eyes flickered around him, hoping it was long gone but something deep inside told him he was not alone.

"Arric."

A low growl rose from the darkness and two brightly shining violet eyes pierced the fog. Arric turned towards it, too scared to move in fear of the creature finding him.

"Look."

Arric looked around him in confusion but only saw the volcano in the distance and the pitch black fog around him. Turning back to the creature, whose eyes now swirled to a bright sky blue.

"Look!"

The creature roared at him hearing it move around in the dark. It sounded heavy, its claws scraping against the stone, a metallic sound that sent shivers down his spine. Arric wanted to run but his feet would not move. His breath felt heavy, he was panting with fear and felt sick all at the same time. An ice cold feeling clawed at his feet and he looked down to find that the ground had turned to ice and was slowly climbing up his legs, trapping him. Arric struggled and it only made the ice climb faster, he tried to scream but no words came. The mass of the creature slinked around just out of vision, nothing more than a shadow. The ice reached his face and Arric squeezed his eyes shut willing for it to stop, his body shaking with cold. Soon the ice had completely encased him and Arric struggled to breathe. His breath became short and panicked. He struggled more and felt himself rock and finally falling forward, hitting the ground.

Arric woke drenched in sweat and shivering. His blanket had been kicked off him during the night and the air was dewy, the soft light of morning peeking over the distant mountain. Panting he quickly looked around the camp and only saw his friends sleeping peacefully around him. He grabbed his blanket and pulled it over his head, closing his eyes and willing himself to calm down.

"It was just a dream, all a dream."

Once he had calmed himself down, he gathered his things and rekindled the fire enough to make a small fire to cook breakfast for himself and his friends. Sleep was the last thing on his mind and he wanted to keep himself busy in order to forget his nightmare. He sat by the fire watching the small pot of crushed fruits and herbs boil softly, the sweet smell of the broth stirring his friends from their slumber. Quin wandered over, rubbing his eyes and sitting next to Arric, shortly joined by Tak while the three girls went to the nearby river to wash up. Arric spooned some of the broth into six bowls and handed one each to Quin and Tak before taking one himself, blowing on it softly as he sat back down. The three enjoyed their meal in a comfortable silence, Tak only speaking up once finished.

"You were pretty restless last night Arric."

Arric froze, almost choking on his mouthful. Coughing and spluttering he squeaked out, "Yeah just a bad dream I guess."

Tak raised a questioning brow at him but stood, wincing slightly as he stretched and left to wash his bowl, just as the three girls returned and collected theirs. Arric finished his bowl and followed Quin to the river, rinsing out his bowl before returning to pack up camp. Once packed the six Eevee headed out again, Grace still leading the way at a brisk pace but noticeably slower than yesterday. Arric walked behind with Tak and Bree, engaging in idle chit chat with Bree along the way but his mind kept returning to his nightmare. He kept wondering what it could mean. Who was the creature and what was it trying to show him? Why was there a volcano now _just_ as they finished visiting the Flareon Tribe? And why was this dream so intent on killing him? Arric went over everything the last two nightmares had shown him but it only left him with more questions than answers.

Graces gasp snapped him back to reality, realising that they were on a downhill slant towards the ocean, the salty air on his tongue, making his nose wrinkle. The sun was slowly dipping its way towards the horizon, its light dancing across the waves. How long had he been lost in thought? Grace barrelled her way down the dune, whooping with the others close behind her, followed slowly by Tak and Arric. In the distance just at the edge of a rocky cliff face, a small bungalow village could be seen. It was not very big compared to the Flareon village. A lot of the buildings were on thick stilts and floating platforms and Arric could see Vaporeon engaged in various activities. Their blue hued bodies glistening against the white of the sea foam.

As they neared, Arric spied Karn talking with Grace and the others. Karn was tall, about the height of Vesper but it was his long dolphin like tail and finned frill that made him look much larger. His skin mimicked that of the deep sea ocean, almost black while his frill resembled the white foam on top of the waves. He held out a webbed fingered hand towards Arric and Tak as they arrived, looking over them carefully.

"Vesper mentioned you two were wounded saving Bree and Orion. I always told my brother one day that workshop would go up in flames. Too bad I wasn't the one who did it."

The Vaporeon Leader chuckled as he clapped Quin on the back, the little Eevee flying forward into the sand. He picked himself up, brushing himself off and smiled softly. Grace nodded eagerly,

"It's the reason we were so late coming too, Tak having to rest and all."

She glared at Tak but said nothing more. Karn nodded and gestured towards the village inviting them to walk with him.

"I'm afraid my mate Aria could not meet with you as well. She is leading a scouting party at sea at the moment, though I expect her to return in a few days." He paused, "It is a shame you will be gone before you meet her. She would have enjoyed that."

Karn led them through the village, along the floating walkways that attached to the platoons that housed most of the buildings. The buildings looked like small fishing huts, open doors and windows, with silken drapes over them to keep out the insects. He stopped before some smaller huts, each one containing a bed, a small table with chairs, a wash basin and a kitchen counter. Big enough for one person to sleep and live comfortably.

"Pick a hut, it's yours for your stay. I'm sure Grace or any other of our Vaporeon residents would be happy to accommodate any of your needs."

Grace was bursting with excitement, "I'll give you guys a tour of the underwater village if you like?"

Arric tilted his head, "Underwater village?"

Grace nodded enthusiastically, "Oh yes! Above water is mainly for guests, underneath the water is where everything Vaporeon thrive!"

Karn placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her, his sky blue eyes shining brightly, "I think that is a splendid idea. You have such a short time here, why not get to it?"

Arric glanced towards Tak who nodded his head in agreement. Grace shrieked and bounced around as they each picked a hut, placing their stuff down before gathering again. Grace lead the way with Karn close behind, chatting to the other Vaporeon who reported to him, greeting each one with a warm smile. They headed for the cliff face, entering a series of caves lined with small torches. It was surprisingly dry in the caves, the soft sand scrunching under their feet soon turning to stone as they descended down, the cave tunnel seemed to go on forever until it finally opened up into a large cavern. One side of the cavern was covered in thick glass, revealing underneath the ocean. Tunnels branched off the large cavern, winding their ways to smaller pockets of caves, each one with one side of glass looking out into the ocean. Arric pressed his nose up on the glass and took in the sights before him. A village made of coral and stone was laid out before him on the ocean floor. Vaporeon of all colours, shapes and sizes swam through the streets, in and out of their homes and towards the surface.

"We live mostly under water as you can see. We can breathe underwater so the caverns here and the village above are for our young Eevee to live and our visitors to stay." Karn explained. He pointed out towards the deeper part of the ocean where the ledge dropped down. Arric could just glimpse the tops of coral and stone buildings. "We expand just a bit past the drop off there. It's easier to swim and hunt for fish there. We are the only export of seafood for our tribes so it is important we are in our prey's element."

They continued through one of the tunnels, the friends staring in awe at the sea life that swam past the glass. Vaporeon waved as they swam past, their hair mostly tied back to keep out of their faces in the water, their tails propelling them forward with amazing speed. They stopped at another large cavern that overlooked the village below the drop off. It jutted out of the underwater cliff, the coral a rainbow of pinks, purples, blues and greens.

"Vaporeon are calm under pressure, provide all the sea bearing trade such as seafood, shells and seaweed. We help with water transport and are powerful. What's not to love about Vaporeon!" Grace bubbled with pride as she pointed out the largest building on the cliff, "That is the town hall where most of the meetings are held or our festivals. You guys should really come see the Moon festival, it's beautiful! You-"

"Karn! Karn!"

Hurried footsteps rang through the cavern as a group of Vaporeon raced toward the group of Eevee. Stopping before them heaving with breath, dripping with water, some of them sporting small wounds. Karn hurried to the lead female, a lithe Vaporeon with pale blue skin and a white frill, her hair a deep blue, braided and tied as a bun to the side of her head.

"Aria! You've returned so soon?" His eyes searched hers, "What happened?"

Aria stood straight, grasping her mates' hands in her own, a scared and wild look in her green eyes,

"The Gyarados are coming!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

One hour.

That was how long Aria had told them they had until the Gyarados arrived. Arric stood with his friends in the cavern that overlooked the drop off. No matter how hard he squinted, turned his head this way or that, he could not see far out into the dark depths of the ocean. Quin quivered beside him, clutching Hannah who held a protective arm around him. Her face resembled his own, concern and confusion. _Why were the Gyarados attacking?_ Arric had never seen a Gyarados his whole life but he had heard stories from the other Vaporeon at social gatherings. They sounded like giants, with long scaly tails, massive jaws filled with canines so long it made it difficult for them to fully close their mouths. Perfect for chomping down on an Eevee or two.

"Why would the Gyarados attack the Vaporeon?" Bree asked the question they were all thinking.

Grace paced behind them, occasionally glancing out towards the coral village. Vaporeon had started to gather, trident like weapons in hand. Arric had only seen these weapons in a crate bound for the Vaporeon territory when he was younger. It could only mean that this feud had been going on for a while, or there was more to the story than Karn had led on.

"Grace?" Arric questioned her.

She stopped, her eyes fixed on the ever growing crowd of Vaporeon out in the water. The ocean was filled with an array of blues and greens and it would have looked amazing to Arric if he was not so scared. Grace sighed, running a hand through her light brown hair, fiddling with a small tendril.

"A while ago, before I was born, the Gyarados started some feud with the Vaporeon. I _think_ it was over fishing grounds or maybe an accident. The Vaporeon had stumbled on a great fishing ground and had begun fishing there. There were shells the size of your head, fish for ages! It was perfect to sustain us. That was until the Gyarados came along. The Vaporeon were happy to share, Karn had even set up a trade route with them. Until…."

Sighing she placed a hand on the glass as she looked out, a sombre look over her face and a faraway look in her eyes.

"An accident happened. The details are not clear anymore, the story seems to change each time I'm told it but one things for sure that both a Vaporeon and a Gyarados died. One side blames the other and well it escalated from there. They come and attack us every so often to _remind us of what we have done_."

Her voice twisted to mockery at the end, her eyes reflecting the ocean from the glass. Her hand fell to her side and she balled them into fists. She turned to Arric, tears shining in her eyes.

"I should be out there! Protecting my village! But instead I have to take this stupid Evolution Ritual first when I already know that I can only be Vaporeon!" Her voice quivered, Quin reached out to her to comfort her but Grace pushed him away, dashing away down one of the tunnels.

The mourning sound of a horn rang through the cavern, vibrating the glass. Arric turned to face the coral village, every Vaporeon had gathered now, Karn and Aria at the front. There they waited. The Gyarados were expected any minute, with each one feeling longer as time passed.

"Guys look!" Hannah pointed.

Arric squinted his eyes against the glass, his face pressed against it, its touch cool. In the distance he spotted a large shadow moving towards the village. As it got closer Arric could make out the small group of Gyarados. There were at least ten, each one just as large as the other. Their massive hulking bodies slithered through the water, well muscles limbs at their sides as they glided towards the village. Their dorsal fin hair formed a line down their back all the way to their thick scaly tails, which propelled them forward at an amazing speed. Their large heads, fronted by three pronged fin on their foreheads, contained the large canines that Arric had heard stories about. They were real and even more terrifying in person. In each hand they held their own weapons, ranging from spears and tridents. Some were holding nets with hooks weaved into them.

Arric swallowed the large lump forming in his throat, tearing his gaze from the terrorising group back to Karn and the other Vaporeon. Karn floated facing them, standing as tall as he could underwater, his webbed hands gripped around his trident with pride. He turned to his tribe, yelling out something too them but in the cavern Arric could not hear and he was too far to even guess from reading his lips. The Vaporeon rallied, holding their weapons in the air, preparing themselves for the Gyarados attack.

In an instant, the Gyarados made a dash and were upon the Vaporeon. The village became a battlefield with the Vaporeon using their weapons to guard against the Gyarados and using the water power when they could to hold them back. Three Gyarados opened their mouths, a ball of energy gathering just at the outside before a bright beam shot out, hitting village behind them, obliterating the coral buildings. A few Vaporeon shot out various waves of bubbles and water attacks, pushing some of the Gyarados back. Arric watched in horror as some Vaporeon sunk silently to the floor, clearly wounded. They were scooped up by their comrades and whisked away to safety in the shallower parts of the village.

Arric felt sick to his stomach. The Vaporeon were great in number but the Gyarados were relentless and with each beam they shot, the more of their buildings were destroyed. The Gyarados never came too close to the shallow ends, not wanting to get swamped by the Vaporeon and the Vaporeon could not get too far out without leaving their village unprotected. Some of the Gyarados retreated, looking wounded but there were still plenty to take their place.

Suddenly a large sickening thud came overhead and Arric looked up in horror as he spied two Gyarados hovering above the cavern glass above them. Their massive forms almost took up one side of the cavern itself and Arric screamed as the first Gyarados raised his trident high and slammed it into the glass, watching as it pierced three giant holes, sending cracks streaking out across the front. Water began to pour into the cavern, sending it crashing to the cavern floor. The Gyarados twisted his trident to wrench it free, cracking the thick glass even more.

"Run! Run for the tunnels!"

Grace ran towards them shouting, pulling Hannah and Bree with her. Looking around him Arric found Quin crouched in a corner, his ears flat against his skull with his hands over his head shaking with fear. He grabbed the Eevee, slung him over his shoulder and bolted after the others with Tak close behind him. The group watched in disbelief as the second Gyarados readied his spear, lifting it high above his head.

"Grace we're not going to make it!"

Arric's voice was drowned out by the rushing water roaring around them. He shifted Quin on his shoulder, watching as Grace, Hannah and Bree scrambled to reach the tunnels, the cavern floor was beginning to flood quicker. Arric looked up and watched, as if in slow motion, as the Gyarados spear pierced through the glass, finally shattering under the pressure of the ocean and force, the water washed over them like a tidal wave, swallowing all six of them up and dragging them out into the ocean. Grasping for Quin, he watched as the Eevee slipped through his fingers, whisked away on the currents out towards the coral ocean and the Vaporeon fighting with the other Gyarados.

Scrambling for breath, Arric tried to orientate himself under the water. The salt stung his eyes, there were blurs of blue and green rubbery flesh against blue and white scales as Vaporeon battled with Gyarados with him stuck in the middle. His lungs burned and as he looked to what he thought was the way up, he thought he could make out the moon high above the surface, its wavering form taunting him. His world began to darken around him and the last thing he saw was large blue and white blur heading towards him.

When Arric opened his eyes, the familiar stony ground of his dreams greeted him. He groaned, pulling his hands under him to lift himself up to a sitting position. The fog seemed thicker this time. He could barely make out his hands in front of him. His movement felt slower too, like he was swimming through an invisible body of water. Pulling himself to his feet, he tried to make out the volcano in the distance, the only indication it was still there was its soft light of lava dribbling from the top.

"You can't give up."

A soft voice, almost a whisper spoke to him right by his ear. Arric jumped and spun around but found no one there. The voice sounded oddly familiar, like he had heard it once before but from a very long time ago.

"H-hello?"

Arric questioned the darkness but only silence answered him. Sighing he dropped back to the ground, suddenly feeling a wave of fatigue wash over him. The fog felt like it thickened around him, somehow clinging to him and squeezing him. Flailing he tried to push it off but his movements felt sluggish.

"Arric, don't give up."

Arric felt himself falling to the ground as if in slow motion, watching as the familiar eyes of the creature appeared from the darkness burning with curiosity, the low growl rumbling through his chest and all Arric could do was close his eyes and succumb to the exhaustion that overcame him.

Arric's eyes snapped open and the soft light of the morning greeted him through the silk curtains of his bungalow. Confused and groggy he sat up, finding himself in his huts bed, a soft blanket draped over him. Small cuts littered over his body but none stung or were very deep. Suddenly remembering the Gyarados attack, Arric flung the covers aside and raced outside only to the discover that most of the floating platforms were reduced to floating debris. A few of the huts had been untouched and several of the beach buildings were intact. Arric could only imagine what the coral city looked like. Vaporeon wandered the beach gathering and repairing what they could, while others pulled wreckage from below on to the shore to survey the damage. Arric spotted his friends by one of the beach huts with what looked like Karn and Aria. Waving to them as he made his way over, Grace welcomed him with a tight hug, her face stained with tears and her eyes looked weary. Karn nodded a greeting to him.

"It's good to see you awake. Aria told me you only had minor injuries?"

Arric nodded, "Nothing to complain about. What happened?"

Grace sniffed, wiping her eyes, "After the caverns glass had smashed we were pulled out in to the battle. Any Vaporeon who were close by came to rescue us, dragging us ashore. You were unconscious when Aria pulled you out but recovered quickly."

Arric remembered the blue form heading for him before he passed out. He looked at Aria, who gave him a small smile, "Thank you for rescuing me."

"Anytime young one." Aria nodded before looking out to the ocean, a sad look on her face.

Arric followed her gaze, "Were many injured?"

Karn snorted, his voice thick with anger, "The Gyarados were not here to hurt anyone so we were only left with wounds that won't take long to heal. They have always been careful like that. They were here only to destroy our village and thus hurting our pride and our economy."

Aria leaned into Karn, resting her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her arm comfortingly, "This will cause a major setback for us and I'm afraid I do not have time to accommodate pledge seekers. I'll have to ask that tomorrow morning, you and your friends will have to move onto the Leafeon Tribe."

Grace opened her mouth to protest but closed it, looking out at her tribes' destruction. Tears began to well in her eyes again but she brushed them away. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Karn, "How can we help in the meantime?"

A solemn smile spread across Karn's face and he pointed to a small group of Vaporeon who were repairing the huts.

"You can help anyone on shore. Aria and I will be below the surface helping out where we can there. If you need anything, look for Ilia."

Grace nodded and headed down the beach, Arric and the others quickly following her. Arric fell in place beside her, watching her carefully. He felt sorry for her, everything she had known had been destroyed and right in front of her friends as well. They reached the small group of Vaporeon, one of them, slightly more of a turquoise in colour, looked up from weaving seaweed to create a hold for one of the stilts. Her bright frill dazzled in the sun behind her but her eyes were worn and sad.

"Come to help?"

The group nodded and the Vaporeon stood, wiping her hands on her thighs to rid them of sand.

"I'm Ilia, I'm Grace's eldest sister."

Grace cheeks reddened at the sound of her name and she cast her face away to hide it. Ilia chuckled, it was warm and soft. "If you guys could comb the beach for any of the debris that has washed up and place it in a pile up the beach, I would be grateful."

Hannah and Bree headed in one direction, while Quin and Tak headed in the opposite. Grace and Arric went closer to shore and waded in about waist deep, pulling any of the debris close by and tossing it onto the beach.

"So Ilia is your sister?" Arric asked, pulling a piece of board towards him.

"Yes. I have three siblings." She grabbed a piece and tossed it to shore. "All pledged Vaporeon. My mother and father too."

Arric stiffened in realisation. That was why Grace was so proud to push Vaporeon. Her whole family were pure Vaporeon. It was tradition for her to be a Vaporeon.

He studied her carefully, "So you come from a long line of Vaporeon?"

She looked at him with a questioning glance, "Yes. It is how it has always been. Why wouldn't they want to?"

Arric shrugged, "I don't know, if someone wanted to pledge something else then I figured there would be a lot of pressure on them to follow tradition."

Grace stopped pulling the debris and glared at him. Arric regretted his words instantly but she had already raised her voice at him, "No one has pressured me to pledge anything! I'm proud to want to pledge Vaporeon. In fact, I'm probably the only one here that is even dead sure on who I want to pledge for. At least I'm not the one wondering what is best for me."

'Look I'm sorry." Arric fiddled with a piece of wood in his hands, "I just wanted to make sure this is what you want. I may not know what I want to pledge but if one tribe has been all I know up until now, I can see how that would feel like the only choice."

Grace softened, tossing another piece to the shore and mumbling, "I guess I see your point."

Once they had grabbed what they could from the shallows, the pair waded back to shore, gathered the pieces they had threw and dragged them up the beach to the pile the others had started to make. Before long, as the sun began to set, they had combed the beach thoroughly. Ilia clapped as she came to check on them.

"Wonderful! Grace you and your friends make excellent workers! Vaporeon would be proud to have any of you!"

Grace glared at her but the sound of Karn's voice from the other side of the beach cut her off as they looked towards him.

"I think it is time to call it a night. Let us start a feast to celebrate the last day of our pledgers and to celebrate the hard work we pulled today!"

The Vaporeon cheered, dropping their tools, they raced down the beach towards a large bonfire that had been made with the unusable debris gathered. The smell of cooking seafood with fruits from the nearby forest wafted through the air and Arric's mouth salivated at the smell of it. He had forgotten how hungry he was and was eager to chow down on the food given to him. He sat by Tak, watching the Vaporeon dance under the rising moonlight. Hannah and Bree took Quin by the hands pulling him to the dancing crowd, despite his protests and by the end he was skipping and dancing with them happily, forgetting his fears.

Arric looked over at Tak, "Don't feel like dancing?"

Tak laughed, pointing to his bandages, "Not really one for dancing. Now eating, that is something I can do." He took a large bite out of the fish he held.

Arric chuckled, taking a bite out of his own food while he enjoyed the Vaporeon dancing and singing. After a while it was time to turn in and he headed for his hut. Before he reached the floating platform, he felt a soft touch on his arm and turned to find Ilia standing behind to him.

"Did you enjoy tonight?"

Arric nodded, "Yes. It was amazing how you Vaporeon can be so joyous after most of your home being destroyed."

Ilia's eyes darkened, "It's only because this is not the first time it has happened."

Arric went to question her but she shook her head, a smile crossing her snout, "Don't worry about it. I actually came to ask something of you."

She looked over at Grace who was standing at the shore, pawed feet in the water, staring out over the horizon, a solemn look on her face.

"You see Arric, I know that Grace has only ever spent her life at the Vaporeon Tribe, much like yourself with the Flareon, so it's only natural that she wishes to pledge Vaporeon, since, well, we come from a rather pure line."

Arric nodded waiting for her to continue. Ilia took a small breath, "But I want Grace to choose for herself, not for some bloodline that I and my siblings were forced to take. I mean I don't regret it but sometimes I wonder if things would have been different if I had the choice."

"Wouldn't you know what to choose when you went on the pilgrimage yourself?" Arric asked confused.

Ilia shook her head, "There _was_ no pilgrimage when I was an Eevee. The pilgrimage has only been around recently."

Arric looked at her in shock. How did he not know this?! Vesper had told him this is what they had always done and no one had ever mentioned or acted otherwise when he asked about it.

"Look, I need you to make sure that besides her pride for Vaporeon, that she is willing to at least consider the other evolutions. I don't want her to make the wrong choice that her heart wants." She sighed, "I don't want her to know that we never had a choice. The guilt would consume her."

Ilia patted Arric on the arm and left him to return under the water with her family. Returning to his own hut, he suddenly realised how tired he was. Yawning he crawled into bed and drew the blankets over him. As he closed his eyes, the words of Ilia swam through his head.

 _Why does it feel like that the Tribe Leaders are hiding something? Why would they lie about the pilgrimage?_

Something inside him told him that this was only the beginning to all these questions and Arric knew that he would not be getting any answers until he had visited each tribe. He promised to himself, as he felt the lull of sleep wash over him, that before the Evolution Ritual he would get to the bottom of this once and for all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Leaving the Vaporeon village behind, the six friends made their way from the coastline back towards the forests. With Hannah and Quin leading the way, Arric hung back with Tak and Bree. Grace trailed behind them, her eyes downcast to the forest floor and her usual bouncy step was replaced with a slow walk fast enough to keep up with the group but her usual vigour was gone. Arric glanced back several times to try and make conversation with her but apart from the occasional shake of her head, he got no other reply from her.

"Leave her be Arric." Bree put a hand on his arm as he attempted to talk to Grace again. "She needs to be in her own thoughts right now."

Arric stretched, intertwining his fingers behind his head as he looked up through the gaps in the trees. It was cool amongst the trees, the rays of light flickering through the leaves, giving them plenty of light to navigate. He breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of the earth and the mixture of the plants around him. He loved the forests of the large island they lived on. The majority of the land was covered in lush green forests, autumn turning the leaves shades of red and yellow until finally in winter the trees fully lost their leaves only to regrow them again in spring. The undergrowth varied, the Leafeon territory and the centre of the island were thicker and other parts close to the Flareon and Glaceon territory were sparse.

Arric let his gaze fall on Hannah walking in front of him with Quin. Her dark tresses fell around her shoulders, the one small braid near her ear and small feathers in her hair was the only thing that set her and Bree apart. He looked over at Bree, the words of Ilia drifting through his mind.

 _There was no pilgrimage when I was an Eevee._

Bree did not want to pledge Jolteon but Hannah was insistent that she did. Were they pure Jolteon as well? Were their family's views different than Graces? Arric quickened his pace to fall in step with Hannah, stepping carefully over the growing roots of the trees around him.

"Hey Hannah, can I ask you something?"

Hannah gave him a questioning look but nodded.

"Is it true that you and Bree are being pressured to pledge Jolteon?"

Hannah avoided Arric's gaze and fiddled with the small braid, her pace never faltered and it took a short time before she spoke again her voice quiet.

"It's not exactly like that. Master Volke is very persistent that we pledge Jolteon but pressuring us… It's just rumours." She twirled the braid around a finger as she continued, "It's just family stuff you know?"

Arric nodded, not satisfied but he did not want to question her further. He dropped back to the others, trying to avoid the questioning glance from Bree and Tak. Perhaps it was just like Grace's situation. Arric could not imagine what it was like to have the pressures of a pure line to live up to. He did not even know his parents, Vesper and Lea were all he knew and Vesper was sure to remind him every day how that had inconvenienced them so. As he grew up he had learned to accept that he would not have the answers to why he was abandoned where he was and why his parents did it. He had questioned Vesper and Lea many times over but they told him they only knew as much as he did.

Suddenly Quin let out a frustrated snort which stopped every by surprise. The small Eevee turned a small circle around him, taking in their surroundings before looking up. Arric followed his gaze and saw that night had fallen, the moons light was now poking through the treetops and Arric felt the air chill around them as the days' warmth slowly left. Quin snorted again and flumped his pack to the ground. He began to pull out a few things in preparation of camp. The others followed suit and Arric eyed Quin warily as he finished pulling out what he needed and set out to look for kindling for a fire. He quickly reappeared from the darkness and set up a campfire for Arric to light, to which he then set up a small pot to ready dinner for the group.

"Quin?" Tak asked him, "You alright there buddy?"

Growling Quin threw his hands up in defeat, "We're lost! Has no one noticed that for the past two hours we have been going around in circles?"

Shocked, Arric looked around the small clearing they were in and realised Quin was right. He had seen that small grove of trees and rock formations several times but he had been so deep in thought that he never took it in that they were going in circles. How could they miss that? Surely they would have met with someone from Leafeon earlier. Had any of them even been to the Leafeon territory before?

Grace stretched out her legs from where she sat and poked at the fire with a stick. The flames reflected in her eyes, the light dancing over her face until she looked up at them all.

"Well I for one am glad we stopped. My feet are killing me and I'm exhausted."

Hannah and Bree nodded in agreement and sat beside her, waiting for the pot to boil over. Tak shifted to a more comfortable position next to Arric, the bandages on his left side only covered his chest. His arms had been unwrapped for the day. His fur was beginning to grow back in tiny brown dots showing that not too much damage had been done to his skin.

Quin quickly whipped up a small dinner for the group as soon as the water in the pot boiled and they quickly settled in for the night. Each of them lost in their own thoughts yet all thinking the same thing. Arric was sure that they needed to just head east from the coastline to make it to the Leafeon territory. The forest was getting thicker as they walked and Leafeon were known to dwell in these parts so far east from the Vaporeon territory. How could they have not found the village yet?

"So what do we do now?" Arric asked, placing his bowl in his bag once he had rinsed it.

Tak shrugged, "Maybe it will be easier in the daylight?"

"Has anyone even been to the Leafeon village?" Quin questioned.

Silence overcame the camp. Quin suddenly jumped to his feet, beginning to pace. His hands waved as he spoke, his voice fast, his eyes growing wild in panic.

"That's it, we're done. We won't make it to the Leafeon village, or the Glaceon or even the Espeon village! We will never get to see them and then I'll have no choice but to pledge Sylveon!"

Bree stood up and tried to comfort him, taking his arms in her hands, shaking him gently, "Quin! Calm down, it's going to be okay. We will find the way in the morning, for now we can ju-"

"No we can't! _I_ can't!" Quin wriggled out of her grip. His soft brown eyes filling with tears as he took in his friends. His hands balled into fists at his sides, trying hard not to shake. "You don't understand! We need to finish this pilgrimage! We are already behind because of me!"

His friends could not understand. They were all much bigger than he was. Smarter, talented and _wanted_. Even Arric had a choice and he had been abandoned as a child. But no, Quin was just a Sylveon Eevee. Everyone thought Sylveon where the most useless of the evolutions. Being Fairy type they were known to be aloof, ignorant and everyone thought they were nowhere near as powerful let alone useful as the others. No one wanted someone from Sylveon. He was an Eevee who was smaller than usual, terrified of everything and nearly killed his friends because of his stupid mistakes. Quin could not stand the look of pity they all gave him. Even now he could see in their eyes that they felt sorry for him, that he was weak.

Arric broke the silence, "So we are a little behind? We still have time, even if it's still a couple of days in each village, it's still enough."

Quin shook his head, "Not if we're lost. This is my fault. I asked Master Karn the way and I still got lost. Master Vesper was right, I'm nothing but a stupid. Useless. Eevee. I should just pick Sylveon and be over with it."

Everyone stared at him in silence. They were unsure of what to say to him. Of course they knew he was not useless. They never blamed him for his mistakes and all of them had heard of the way to the Leafeon territory but none of them actually knew _where_. Quin sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, "Tomorrow I'll just head back to Sylveon territory and meet the rest of you at the Evolution Ritual. I won't ruin the pilgrimage anymore."

Grace stood. Her expression was cold as she strode over to him, grabbing his shoulders so hard it made him wince. Her eyes locked on his. Arric made a move to remove Grace but Tak grabbed his shoulder shaking his head.

"You _will_ finish this pilgrimage! You are _not_ useless. You are going to visit each village and you are going to realise deep down who _you_ are meant to be, even if that is Sylveon, Umbreon or even Flareon."

Quins eyes searched hers and for a while they stood there, Grace glaring at him and Quin quivering under her. Slowly he nodded and she relaxed her grip on him, a warm smile spreading across her lips as she drew him in to a soft embrace. Hannah came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "We are in this together Quin. We don't blame you for your mistakes."

Bree spoke up, "Some of us may not know what we want to pledge but if you give up now, how are you ever going to know?"

Small soft sobs escaped Quin as he buried his face into the Graces embrace. She patted him gently, rubbing his back and tussling his ears until he broke apart and looked at his friends.

"Thank you guys." He sniffed.

"Your friends are right you know."

All six of them froze, panic rippling through them as they looked around trying to find the voice. Arric finally spotted a pair of bright green eyes belonging to a pale forest green Leafeon leaning against a tree in the shadows. Arric swore that the Leafeon was not there before but there she was, her dark green hair was dreadlocked like vines around her face, one full leaf rising from her forehead, reaching far over her head like a feather. Her leaf tipped ears twitched with amusement as she left her leaning post and stepped out into the firelight of the camp. Her tail fanned behind her like a broad leaf, the fine hairs tingling with the airs touch, sending her messages that no one else could hear.

"Madame Nia you could have announced yourself earlier." Tak pointed out.

The Leafeon smiled, spreading her arms wide and sweeping the tall Eevee into her arms for a hug, "My dearest nephew! How long have you known I was there?"

The group looked at Tak who had a sheepish look on his face. Pushing away from Nia he cleared his throat, "Long enough."

The Leafeon Tribe Leader pouted lightly, twirling around Tak, stepping across the grass like she was gliding, her footfalls silent, it looked like she was dancing in the moonlight.

"I didn't want to ruin the moment you were all having. Having secure emotional support is important on a pilgrimage like this."

Arric stepped forward, "How long has the pilgrimage tradition been around for?"

Nia stopped and looked at him, a flicker of something dark crossed her face so quickly Arric was not sure if he had even seen it at all but a coy smile played on her lips just as quickly as it passed, "Oh for the longest time my child. Don't worry yourself about the details. Just know that now is important, not silly stories of yesterday."

Arric wanted to question her further but Grace cut him off, "When do we leave for the village?"

Nia began to sway to a breeze no one else felt, her eyes sparkled in the night and she began to dance across the clearing towards the shadows, grasping on to one of the branches before glancing at the Eevees.

"Tomorrow morning I will come for you. No point floundering in the forest at night, I wouldn't want you trip and fall. The climb is a little tricky for those not used to it."

Before any of them could protest she stepped into the shadows, melting away into the darkness until there was nothing else. Tak grumbled to himself, "Madame Nia was always one for mystery and dramatics."

Hannah gave him a small nudge, "Auntie Nia huh?"

Tak growled at her, "Don't even start. She is my aunt yes but I've never called her _Auntie Nia_. Come on we should get some sleep. Knowing Madame Nia, we will be getting an early wake up call."

"Wait a minute." Arric suddenly realised, "If she is your aunt, then that means her sister pledged Umbreon."

The others looked at him in confusion. Tak nodded slowly, "Yeah my mother pledged Umbreon, so what?"

"Oh nothing, I just didn't realise families can pledge other bloodlines as much as I thought." Arric dismissed him with a shake of his head.

He was not ready to confide in his friends about his findings just yet. He needed more information otherwise Arric was sure they would not believe him. If most Eevee were pressured into pledging a certain evolution, then what made Nia and her sister pledge different evolutions?

Arric's head began to ache with all the questions and finally decided to climb into his sleeping blankets to get some sleep. He watched the moon drift across the sky slowly hoping that when he fell asleep his nightmare would return and it scared him to think that now, only after a few days ago he dreaded sleep, he was willing to navigate the fog and confront the creature of his dreams.

Arric awoke to someone shaking him. He groaned, rolling over to find Quin peering down at him. Arric realised he had slept the whole night dreamless and cursed to himself, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"It's time to go, Madame Nia is here to take us to Leafeon village."

Arric gathered his things in his pack and sauntered over to the group waiting for him, Nia giving him a refreshed smile tossed him an apple which almost hit him in the face.

"Don't forget breakfast dear Arric." Nia chimed.

Arric grumbled a thanks and bit into the apple. It was sweet and surprisingly fresh as if it were picked this morning. Nia clasped her hands together asking for their attention.

"Now my pets, follow me and stay close, the undergrowth is a bit thick."

With a bound she dashed into the trees, almost disappearing again, the outline of her shadowy form just visible enough for them to follow her through the trees. It was well over an hour before Nia stopped at small grove. The trees twined around each other like multiple arches, the undergrowth snaking its way between them that they looked like curtains.

With one hand Nia pulled back the undergrowth and ushered them through, following behind them letting it fall back as she stepped through. Arric looked around him and only saw more undergrowth and several very thick and large trees around them. He wondered how long they had to go before he heard Quin gasp in awe, pointing up. Arric followed his hand and let out his own breath of wonder.

High in the tree tops were wooden platforms attached to the large tree trunks. On the platforms were small buildings made of wood, vines and large leaves. Connecting all the platforms were long wooden bridges, held together with vines. Arric saw several Leafeon peer down at them from atop the platforms, their fur colours ranging from the bright greens to the darkest browns.

Nia smiled wide at the group, her eyes sparkling, "Welcome to my home."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The first two days the six Eevee spent their time navigating the tree top village. Each of them enjoyed the various activities that the Leafeon were well known for and they were relieved for once that nothing had cut their visit short like the other villages. Arric found himself leaning on the railing that surrounded the platforms attached to the thick trunks of the trees. The wood felt smooth under his hands, sanded down by a Leafeon long ago and carefully handcrafted into the decorative handrail he now leant on.

Beneath him, Arric watched as a group of Leafeon played hide and seek in the undergrowth. The idea of the game was the reach the far side ladder of village before found by the person who was "it". Several Leafeon waded through the long grass like sharks, hiding in bushes and behind trees.

Arric watched with baited breath as a small brown Leafeon sauntered her way through the undergrowth, barely visible to even him who had a pretty good view of the whole playing area. Her form melted into the shadows easily and it was hard to keep an eye on her when she ducked down into the grass below, only to pop up a few feet away. Arric understood now just how easy it was for them to completely miss the Leafeon village, let alone find any Leafeon in the forest itself. The way they dissolved so easily into the forest surroundings made him feel that without Nia's help, they would have been lost forever. The Leafeon slunk closer to the dark green Leafeon who was It, sneaking almost right under his nose before leaping out, grasping the ladder in her hands proclaiming, "Not It!"

Chuckling Arric turned around to rest his back against the railing, scanning the platforms nearby to spot any of his friends. Feeling the calm atmosphere around him with each breath he took in made the nightmares and mysterious surrounding the Evolution Ritual melt away, a calm settling inside him. He spotted Tak chatting with a few Leafeon males as they played a short game of jacks. The dark Eevee rested back with his arms across his back, chatting cheerfully with a brown Leafeon while the other two Leafeon with him took turns in the game. Tak looked over to Arric and gave a small wave of greeting before turning back to the other Leafeon.

Sweeping across the platform, Arric made his way along a bridge to the next platform searching for the others. He found Hannah, Grace and Bree weaving baskets with a group of Leafeon. The group roared with laughter as Hannah held up her basket that looked more like a mangled birds nest. Bree helped her pull it apart before guiding her hands to weave the long leaves along the stick frame. Arric chuckled to himself and kept walking, hoping to find Quin where he found him yesterday at the far end of the village. Crossing another bridge, Arric felt it sway gently under him. It was still sturdy enough to hold several Leafeon at once yet light enough that a strong enough breeze would rock it. It still took Arric a short time to get used to walking on the bridge to begin with and he always felt a wave of relief when he safely planted his feet on the platform on the other side. He never felt afraid of heights before but the thought of falling from such a height made his heart race.

Taking his time to stroll through the village, Arric took in the small huts around him. A lot of them looked like square tents, with large logs framing the hut, smaller sticks, large leaves and cloth stretched between the frames with a door at the front to allow entry. Inside there were bed cots to sleep on, a few counters and a short wooden table. The Leafeon preferred to sit on cushions that surrounded the table, it saved more space and was easier for them rearrange if needed. Arric thought back to his time growing up in the Flareon village. The culture of working together was similar to how the Leafeon ran things but none of the Leafeon organized a roster. Everyone just seemed to know when it was their turn to work on a job.

Arric rounded a corner approaching a slightly bigger hut than the others. It was Nia's personal home and when Arric entered he found Quin exactly where he left him yesterday. The small Eevee was huddled over a small bench, in his hands were a pestle where he was making quick work with a mixture of herbs in a stone mortar, his expression locked into concentration. Beside him Nia carefully directed him, pointing out each herb to him explaining the properties and what they were best used for. Quin nodded furiously at her every word, his eyes bright with enthusiasm as he grabbed each herb, studying it carefully, feeling its texture, bringing it close to his snout to breathe in its scent before placing it into his mixture.

Arric took a seat at the other side of the bench, gaining a warm smile from Nia. Her dreadlocks were pulled back into a high ponytail at the back of head with a thick piece of cloth. Whenever she moved, Arric swore he smelled the sweet scent of flowers in the air but when he paused to breathe it in, the scent was gone. When she looked at him, her bright eyes seemed to swirl from a brilliant bright green to the deepest jade and he could not help but feel all his worries melt away when she smiled. It was like he was intoxicated, a soft fog filling his mind, blocking all the worries from rising up from the depths of his mind. It had made it impossible for him to bring up any kind of conversation about the Evolution Ritual and even though Arric knew he should be frustrated; the feeling never came.

 _Was Nia using her powers to mess with me?_ Arric shook his head to try and clear the fog from his mind and instead focused on the pair in front of him.

"This mixture will be helpful for treating burns." Nia's soft voice sounded like a fresh stream over polished stones, "You apply it to the burns and then wrap in a bandage, reapplying daily."

Quin nodded and placed the salve in a small flask, placing it inside a small shoulder pack that Arric never saw before. It was perfect for holding several flasks without being too bulky. Arric could see the glint of a few flasks already tucked in the many pockets inside. Nia lifted from her seat and stepped over to a small cabinet that was tucked into a corner of the hut. Opening the doors, she rummaged through the many bowls and sacks she had stored in there. The Leafeon took out two small sacks and a bowl full of petals before returning to the bench to place them down.

"Now we take a few of these petals and make sure you crush them good with some water, not too much, you want to make a paste."

Quin eagerly followed her direction, grinding up the petals into a paste. Nia opened one of the sacks and smelled the contents, nodding her approval before offering it to Quin to smell. He breathed in the scent suddenly becoming overcome with coughing and sputtering from the strong scent. Nia chuckled patting his back as he regained his composure. She continued to instruct him on preparing the concoction watching with gentle eyes as Quin mixed the herbs. Nia leant her head in her hands as she peered over at Arric, a small smile on her lips, her eyes shining brightly at him with something Arric could not place.

"So my child, have you come to watch our little protégé or have you come for a specific reason?"

Quin looked up from the mortar with a start. He had not realized that Arric was sitting there. He stumbled with the pestle, knocking the mortar off the bench, squeaking in panic as it fell to the ground, only to be caught by Nia's tail. Her laugh rang out like bells as she placed the mortar back onto the bench, stroking Quins ears gently, "Hush dear, there's no need to panic."

The small Eevee took a moment to compose himself, looking over at Arric sheepishly, "I'm sorry Arric, I didn't even realize you were there."

Arric shrugged taking a petal from the bowl and twirling it in his fingers, "Ah that's okay Quin, I could see you were busy. What are you making?"

Quin was buzzing with excitement, he reached into the small bag at his hip and pulled out the flasks, setting each one on the table before him.

"Oh Arric, Madame Nia has been teaching me to make salves and potions! This one is for burns, this one is for poison, this one is for when you get paralyzed and this one is to help with sleepiness!" He pointed to each one excitedly, his face bright with happiness, "Madame Nia says I'm pretty good at it and I asked her to teach me as much as possible before we leave tomorrow so that if I make any mistakes or anything else happens during our pilgrimage I'll be useful for once!"

Arric smiled at his friend. It was the first time he had seen the Eevee truly happy. Nia watched them carefully, slowly standing and stretching out her arms, "Quin dear, I think I'm going to go for a walk to take a break, you should as well. Go and find your other friends and have some dinner."

Quin nodded and gathered the flasks, placing them back in his bag before bounding out of the room, a large smile plastered on his face. Arric went to follow him when he felt a soft tug on his arm.

"Come Arric, take a walk with me will you?"

Nia left her home with Arric beside her. She walked across a bridge to a platform that was a level higher than the others, she stopped at the railing, leaning both hands on the rail and looked down over the village below her. Her leaf tail flicking at the end softly side by side. Arric joined her, looking down at the Leafeon carrying on their daily tasks. He spotted Quin with his friends, the Eevee was bursting at the seams with joy as he pulled out each flask to show Grace, who could only smile and nod as Quin rambled so fast that Arric was sure she could not keep up.

"I know you have questions Arric. But I don't think it's wise to ask them."

Arric turned towards Nia. The tribe leader still watched her people below, a small smile on her snout but her eyes seemed focused on something Arric could not see, her mind looked as if it were somewhere else. Arric cleared his throat, it suddenly felt dry.

"Madame Nia I know that the Evolution Ritual has only been around a short time. I want to know why everyone has been lying to us?"

Nia sighed, sliding her hands over the railing under her in circular motions. She suddenly looked so tired, her usual glow seemed to dim and when she turned her head to face Arric, her eyes were cold.

"Did Vesper or Karn tell you this? Those boys could never keep things to themselves, Volke especially didn't like the idea of the ritual."

Her voice still held its softness but Arric could sense something underneath that he could not recognize. A cold chill crawled up his spine and he shook his head,

"No, Master Vesper always made it seem like the Evolution Ritual was the only way this had been done. Karn was a little busy with the Gyarados attack to answer anything." He made sure not to mention Ilia and dared to take a step towards her, desperate for answers, "Why is there a choice now and why hide things from us?"

Nia turned around to lean her back against the railing, her head tilted up to face the sky. Her eyes searched the sky through the treetops, the oranges and reds of the beginning sunset creeping its way over the horizon. Nia sighed, a long sigh that sounded as if it was the conclusion to an inside battle.

"We wanted things to change."

Arric gave her a confused look and she searched his face, squinting at him in the fading light. The sound of laughter and loud chatter caused one of her ears to turn back but she kept her eyes on his. Arric shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable as she watched him.

"Change what?"

Nia shook her head, "I can't answer that my child. Just trust me when I say that it's better this way. Eevee have a choice now and it's best not to question it."

She stepped away from the railing, a dark look crossed her eyes as she looked down at the village below, "You must tell no one of this Arric."

Suddenly she was in front of him, hands grasping his shoulders as she looked down at him, her expression a mixture of desperation and anger, "You need to focus on finishing this pilgrimage. Forget about the past and stop asking questions. Nothing good will come of it and you will be walking a dangerous path if you choose to pursue this."

Her voice was almost a hiss and she let him go walking back down the bridge they had come from. Arric stood there stunned. He finally let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. Ilia was right and if Nia asked him if the other tribe leaders had told him.

 _All the tribe leaders are keeping this secret_.

Arric growled to himself. Nia would not give him any answers and he still had more questions! He rubbed his face, his mind filling with a fog and he swore he smelt flowers on the wind as Nia left. Exhaustion suddenly washed over him in waves and he felt himself stumbling over his feet as he made his way back to his hut. The world began to spin around him, the scent of flowers growing stronger as he got closer to his hut. He fumbled with the door, cursing under his breath until he finally opened it, flailing his arms out as he almost fell flat on his face.

 _I need to sleep, so tired. Where was I before? How did I get back here so fast?_

A soft grip on his arm made him spin around in panic, the room spun around with him and he felt his stomach lurch. His eyes drooped as sleep threatened to take over him. His gaze followed up the hand that held him, along the arm until they stopped on the bright green eyes of the Leafeon Tribe Leader.

"I'm sorry my child." Her voice heavy with regret, "Sleep now and tomorrow you won't remember tonight. Tomorrow you leave but for now sleep and forget."

"No, I don't want to forget! I want answers!" Arric slurred and he tried to struggle out of Nia's grasp. The grip on his arm grew tighter, the smell of flowers filling his nostrils and mouth until he felt like he was suffocating.

"It's for your own good Arric. I don't want you to come to harm. Shhhh, sleep child."

Arric felt his body grow heavy, his struggles growing weaker as his eyelids threatened to close. He mumbled his protest but his tongue felt like lead. Nia placed him softly on his bed, placing a blanket over him. She sat at his side gently stroking his face as he slowly drifted off to sleep. When she was sure that his breathing was slow and deep and he was fully asleep she slipped across the floor towards the door like a shadow, pausing only to look back at him, sorrow seeping into her eyes and across her face.

"Your answers will come Arric. But I'm afraid you won't like them."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

It was not until the group had just reached the snowy edges of the Glaceon territory that Arric finally felt the fog that was clouding his mind lift. He stopped abruptly, the feel of the shallow snow crunching between his toes woke him up from a trance he did not even realise he was in. Around him he saw soft hills covered in a thin veil of snow, long grass stalks poking their way through, reaching towards the sky for the suns warmth. Behind him, the edges of the forest sat in the distance, the tree line spotting the horizon growing more distant as they made their way further into the Glaceon territory. Gnarled leafless trees dotted the landscape before him, some grew in barren groves while others stood alone, lightly bending in the icy breeze that carried over the land from the distant coastline.

Arric wrapped his hands around his shoulders, rubbing them gently as the cold began to seep through his fur to his skin. Everything slowly came back to him, the last he could remember was walking with Nia to look over the Leafeon village and something about… Arric growled his frustration, rubbing a hand over his face to try to wake up his brain.

"Welcome back to the living."

Tak walked beside Arric, the two of them trailing behind the others. Quin and the girls chatted loudly. Grace was back to her energetic self while Hannah and Bree were happily examining the concoctions Quin had made. Arric watched them carefully, addressing Tak next to him.

"How long was I gone?"

Tak shrugged, looking ahead of them as he walked. The wind rustled in his dark brown fur and Arric noticed that he had tied his dark mid-length hair back into a small ponytail. The snow beneath them was slowly climbing up to their knees and Arric noticed that being taller was yet another advantage for the bigger Eevee beside him.

"I'd say at least a day and a half. Madame Nia poisoned you before we left didn't she?"

Arric looked at him in shock before nodding and Tak gave him a wry smile, "Did you really think I couldn't tell? The others might not have but I have seen others affected by it. It makes you like a zombie, auto pilot or something and you can forget up to days. Not the first time my aunt has done it for her own reasons."

"I don't understand why Madame Nia would do that. I don't remember." Arric mumbled to himself.

"Who knows why the tribe leaders do what they do." Tak grumbled, something in his voice was dark, "They seem to think they know all the answers and do whatever they want."

Arric watched his friend carefully. Tak did not speak much but when he did, he seemed to know more than he was letting on. Did he notice the same things Arric had on their pilgrimage about the tribe leaders?

"Tak what do you know about the pilgrimage history?" Arric asked carefully.

"That before it was only pure bloodlines and that the tribe leaders decided that the pilgrimage was a better idea to stop a revolt happening as more and more Eevee wanted to join other tribes."

Arric stopped, his mouth open. How did Tak know all of this and not tell him sooner? He went along with the tribe leaders all this time, even when Arric had questioned them. Tak looked back at him,

"Madame Lycia told me before we left for the first meeting. She told me not to tell anyone else as its some big secret they are trying to forget. She wouldn't tell me the whole story and I doubt what she is telling me is the entire truth but I figured since you were figuring it out on your own and after what Madame Nia did to you, my suspicions were confirmed."

Arric fell back in step with Tak his thoughts racing. There was a secret to all this! Arric could not contain his excitement but something deep down gnawed at him. Something did not feel right about this. If it was to stop a revolution why keep it a secret? Would it not be better to claim that they were the ones who thought of a solution to the continued peace?

"If you want my advice though Arric." Tak gave him a warning look, "Drop whatever it is you're planning and just deal with it the way it is. It won't end well for you if you don't. Madame Nia has already made that clear if she forced you to forget."

Arric wanted to ask him what else he knew but Hannah's squeal of delight drew their attention to the group in front of them. She hopped in delight, clutching Bree as they both bounced up and down, pointing down the hill. At the bottom, a large frozen lake laid out before them. Rainbow lights danced over its surface spreading across the full span of the lake. At the edge of the lake closest to them, a large tunnel greeted them. Several Glaceon surrounded the entrance, the snow reflected off their pale blue to almost white pelts, some only distinguishable from the snow itself by the darker colouring of their ears and tails.

"Race you!"

Before anyone could react, Grace leapt down the hill with Hannah, Bree and Quin behind her. Arric laughed as he bounded after them, Tak rolling his eyes as he followed. The group trundled down the hill, slipping and sprawling at the bottom in a pile. The nearby Glaceon chuckled to themselves as they watched. One of the Glaceon approached them, his deep sapphire eyes glowed brightly against the snow, his fur a sky blue and his hair was spiky and short ending in dark blue tips.

"Welcome Eevee!" His voice was soothing and deep, "I've been awaiting your arrival. I am Bowen, second in command and Avice's mate. Come, she wishes to meet with you."

The Eevee followed Bowen down into the tunnel. The walls were made of solid ice and every corridor looked like the last. Arric soon found himself lost, unsure of which direction he was going and which he had just been. Carved into the thick ice walls were stunning displays of Pokemon in different scenarios. One depicted a tribe of Tauros warriors dancing under the light of the moon while in the foreground a mother huddled with her children, singing them to sleep. Arric tried not to dwell on each carving for too long in fear he would be left behind. Finally, Bowen brought them to a large chamber, the roof arching high, the surface reflected above them, the rainbow lights streamed across the ceiling.

"It's so beautiful." Bree watched the lights above them in awe.

"We are lucky to have such a safe and beautiful home." Bowen agreed.

Inside the chamber was a large stage platform at the far wall. Figures of Glaceon were carved around the edges, trapped forever in motion that ranged from joyous expressions to the most depressing emotions. From the platform, several long tables in rows spread down the room, benches on either side for Glaceon to sit and watch the stage. Atop the platform sat the Glaceon tribe leader. Around her sat several smaller Glaceon in a semi-circle, while she spoke to them. She raised her head, her long white braids falling from her shoulder, her light blue eyes taking in her guests carefully. Her gaze was cold and stern, not like her mate. Waving a hand, she dismissed the Glaceon who all nodded their good bye and left silently into the tunnels that branched off the chamber. Bowen stopped at the edge of the platform, gazing up at her.

"The Eevee have arrived my dear."

Avice slipped over the edge of the platform, landing neatly next to Bowen without a sound. She held an air of grace about her, with shoulders well-postured back, standing tall as she looked over the Eevee before her. Her fur almost matched Bowens but slightly more blue and her ears and tail were a lot darker. As she spoke, her voice remained calm yet firm as she regarded the group.

"Your journey has been uneventful I presume?"

"Yes Madame Avice." Hannah and Bree answered a little too quickly.

Arric shot them a questioning look but neither of them dared looked his way. Avice nodded curtly, turning on her heel and striding towards the left tunnel, holding out a hand to beckon them to follow. They headed down a few more tunnels until they made it to a long chamber. On either side were rows and rows of doors, with ramps leading to each level, reaching up high to ceiling. The first level had six open doors closest to the chamber entrance. Avice motioned for them to pick a room for themselves. Inside was a bed laden with warm blankets, a few cupboards and a small table with a single chair. Arric placed his pack beside the bed before joining the others.

"You are free to roam the grounds as you wish but I suggest you do not stray too far. Eevee are not suited for the snow and we wouldn't want you getting lost."

Avice looked over the group of Eevee before turning to Bowen, "Make sure they are comfortable and fed. Bring them back to the surface whenever they desire."

She turned back to the Eevee, "I welcome you to the Glaceon village, excuse my short introduction but I have other matters I must attend to. Bowen will attend to your needs in the meantime."

The Glaceon took her leave, Arric watching her go through a small tunnel that led further into the ice caverns. Bowen cleared his throat, "Who's up for dinner?"

Arric and the group nodded eagerly, their stomachs growling in protest as they made their way to the main kitchen. Glaceon watched them curiously as they walked by, stopping to greet them quickly before moving on with their tasks. The smell of grilled food wafted through the tunnels as they drew closer and Arric could not stop his mouth from watering. The kitchen was set up with several small stoves, sinks and benches. Groups of Glaceon cooked meals together and then ate together at the tables that littered the area.

"Feel free to use what we have here. I will be nearby when you are ready to head to your rooms to rest."

Grace looked over the ingredients, recognising some of the fish on ice had come from her home village. She took a few, ordering Quin to grab some of the fresh herbs, Arric a pot and for Hannah and Bree to get the stove ready. Quickly the group made a meal with fish and vegetables, hungrily wolfing the meal down as they sat together.

"I'm surprised it's not colder in these tunnels." Arric pondered aloud between mouthfuls.

"The ice insulates against the cold and being underground with warm bodies it just makes it seem warmer. The Glaceon would have a hand in stopping the ice from melting from so many living here." Quin shrugged.

Arric nodded, finishing his meal and washing up. Bowen met with them to lead them back to their rooms and Arric found that even though he had just been this way, none of the place looked familiar.

"How do you not get lost here Master Bowen?"

Bowen chuckled, flicking his tail sending small ice particles floating through the air, "It's a Glaceon thing. We feel our way through the ice walls. It's like sending a signal and seeing the way beforehand you know?"

Arric shook his head. He did not understand at all. No matter how hard he tried, he only saw the walls before him. They reached the living quarter's chamber and Bowen excused himself, promising to return in the morning for them. Arric gladly crawled under the covers, feeling all the days of travelling and past events exhaustion pulling at his body and mind. Stifling a yawn, he rubbed his eyes and settled for sleep.

Again, Arric awoke in his dreams. In the distance, the volcano glowed, no closer than before. Arric could feel its warmth on his skin but there was something else. A spray of mist surrounded him, occasionally sweeping over him as if a breeze floated past him. In the direction of the breeze, Arric could faintly make out the sound of rushing water and if he squinted his eyes, he swore he could make out a small waterfall, its water cascading down onto smooth rocks, splashing up the mist that wafted over to him. Arric headed for the waterfall, a thirst clawing at his throat the longer he stared at the waterfall.

A leaf brushed past his nose making him stop, holding out his palm he let the leaf land. Its leaves spread out in curved edges, oval at the bottom with a long stem. It was a bright green and fresh but when Arric turned the leaf to the side, it changed to a bright orange, becoming dry and crisp. Arric glanced up and saw more leaves floating over him, twirling and swirling on a breeze Arric could not feel. A large tree sat at the edges of the darkness in the opposite direction of the waterfall. Its thick branches reached out to him and he felt himself reaching out in response, a desperate need to climb the tree overcame him that he had broken into a sprint towards the tree before he even realised. His footfalls echoing on the stone beneath him. His lungs burned for air as he ran harder but no matter how fast he ran or how far he pushed, the tree never grew closer.

Arric slowed, putting his hands on his thighs as he bent catching his breath. He eyed each entity before him. Each beckoned to him, calling to him. Why were they showing up now? There was never anything but darkness before. Darkness and the beast.

Arric's blood ran cold. Where was the beast? Arric swung around; the memories of his last dream hitting him. The icy cold grip that started from the ground threatened to return but when Arric looked down, the stone only greeted him.

"Hey beast!"

His voice echoed into the darkness. There was no answer. Frustrated Arric turned towards the volcano. It was the first to show up and Arric could only guess that perhaps he was meant to visit it first. Arric headed for the volcano, his footsteps echoing around him.

 _Am I getting closer?_

Arric paused, looking back the way he came and then back at the volcano. He could not tell if he was getting closer or not. Everything around him seemed just as far away as the other and nothing ever seemed to get closer. Suddenly the familiar tingle of cold tickled at his feet.

 _No! Not again!_

Arric bolted towards the volcano, his body shivered with cold and the more he ran towards the volcano, the colder he felt. Arric stopped, tearing his gaze away from the volcano. He was slowly beginning to piece the puzzle together. He turned his attention to the waterfall, the thirst growing in his throat again. He managed to fight the urge to run to the waterfall to face the tree, the desperation to climb overwhelming him.

 _What does this all mean? What am I supposed to do?_

The faint sound of scraping caught Arric's attention. Slowly he turned to face the sound. All the warmth Arric managed to gain back left his body and fear began to bubble up inside. At the edge of the darkness was the beast. Its eyes glaring at him with a fiery rage. It was still too shadowed to make anything out and it slowly lumbered towards Arric, a low growl rumbling like thunder in its chest.

"Arric."

"No. No! Leave me alone!" Arric screamed at the beast.

The beast threw up its head and roared. Arric covered his ears, his body vibrating. The beast lunged forward and Arric turned and fled. Running blindly through the fog, he looked for the volcano but it had disappeared. The waterfall and tree had slipped into the darkness. The beasts' breath licked at his neck, Arric screaming as he felt a long sliding tongue reach out for him. Arric pumped his legs harder, every muscle burning with pain, his heart hammering in his chest. The fog around him began to thicken, invading his lungs, filling his head. His legs felt like jelly, he struggled to keep running, the fog getting thicker until it became too hard to breathe. Arric pawed at his throat struggling to take large strangled breaths; it felt like he was breathing in water. His lungs burned and the fog slithered its way into every part of his mind. The beast roared behind him and he felt his legs buckle beneath him, hitting the ground. Arric managed to flip himself onto his back to watch as the beast reached out with one dark paw.

Arric awoke screaming, fumbling in his bed until he rolled off, hitting the icy floor beneath him. He scrambled backwards until his back was against the cool walls. Sweat beaded off his brow and his chest fell in ragged breaths. His eyes darted across the room at his bed for the beast, the darkness seeping in every corner of the room. He waited for beasts claws to rip into him. Nothing. Arric closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around his legs as he curled himself into a ball. His chest wracked with sobs as hot tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Please. Make it stop."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

A soft knock at the door roused Arric from his sleep. He had not realized when he had finally fallen back asleep and he lifted his head from his curled state to see Hannah pop her head through the door. She frowned, not finding Arric in his bed, a concerned look crossed her face when she spotted Arric still curled up in the corner of his room. His hair was ragged, his facial fur sticky from past tears and the bags under his eyes looked like he had not slept in months. Closing the door behind her, Hannah hurried over to Arric, swiping a blanket from his bed and wrapped it around his shoulders, taking him in her arms as she crouched next to him.

"Arric what happened?"

The concern in her eyes made Arric want to pour his heart out to her, to tell her everything that had been happening. From the first nightmare to the deep secrets that the tribe leaders were keeping from them all. He felt as if telling Hannah would end all his problems and everything would be fine again yet deep down Arric knew that was not true. He could not tell her. She would only call him crazy like everyone else had in the Flareon village. Vesper had only grown angry whenever he mentioned the nightmares and Lea would only pat his head and tell him they would go away on their own soon enough.

"Just a nightmare." Arric turned away from her.

Hannah shook her head and rocked him gently. He felt warm in her embrace and Arric leant his head against her, closing his eyes, willing the memories of his dreams to fade away. They sat there in silence for a while before Arric cleared his throat and moved to stand. He stretched, feeling his whole body protest to getting up when all he wanted to do was climb back into bed and sleep. Arric shuddered at the thought; he had enough of sleep and nightmares for now.

Arric held out his hand to Hannah and she took it with a small smile, pulling herself to her feet. She waited for him to wash his face and fix up his hair until he looked like his normal self again. She twiddled with a piece of hair as he was slicking down a patch of hair that did not want to stay in place.

"You know you can talk to me Arric. About anything." Hannah said quietly.

Arric looked over at her and saw the hurt in her eyes and his heart sunk in his chest. He did not mean to distrust her, she meant well and he was sure she would believe him in time when he had proof. He grabbed her shoulders slightly and forced a smile.

"I'm fine Hannah but thanks. It's good to know you care."

Hannah nodded softly trying to hide the hurt on her face. Arric followed her out of the room where he found a Glaceon waiting to take them to the kitchens for breakfast. When they made it to the kitchens and found the others, Quin had already made a bowl for Arric, sliding it over to him as he sat next to Hannah. Arric pushed the food around his bowl with his spoon before he realized that Quin was watching him with a worried look. Arric laughed nervously before scooping a spoonful and began his meal, ignoring Hannah's glare.

"It's about time you got up Arric. We sent Hannah to get you before you slept the day away!" Grace folded her hands under her chin, "I overheard Master Bowen say there is a festival tonight and everyone is preparing for it! There will be dancing and singing and something about the night sky filled with lights!"

She spread her arms out to emphasize her point a broad smile on her lips. Arric finished his meal and washed up, joining the others waiting for him. A Glaceon lead them through the winding tunnels up towards the surface. It was full of life unlike the day before. Glaceon spanned across the entrance of the tunnel setting up tables and seats, while others sat at a few of the tables busy creating buntings, flags and streamers all the colours of the rainbow. On one side of the tunnel, Glaceon were carefully setting up a boundary on the frozen lake, some were skating in pairs, laughing as they stumbled over each other, gaining a few glares from the Glaceon trying to set up.

A shout caught Arric's attention and he managed to jump out of the way as two sleds laden with Glaceon sped past, one calling out an apology as they disappeared around a mound of snow. Arric could not help but grin at the bustling Glaceon around him, the last lingering thoughts of his ordeal last night melting away. Grace nudged him and pointed to the group of Glaceon who were now pulling their sleds up the hill.

"Come on Arric, let's go."

The two of them raced off up the hill, waving a greeting to the Glaceon who were prepping for another slide down the hill. One of them smiled brightly at them as they approached, her light grey hair wound tightly into a bun at the top of her head, and her pale fur was speckled with snow.

"Hey there." She motioned towards the sled in front of her, "Want to have a go?"

Grace nodded and hopped on the sled with the Glaceon climbing on behind her. Her squeals of delight followed her down the hill and faded as they rounded a corner.

"How about you?"

A dark blue Glaceon stepped up to Arric, pointing over at his sled. Arric took a spot up front, settling in and holding on tightly as the Glaceon climbed behind him. He leant forward, wrapping his arms around the rail in front of Arric.

"Hold tight, lean with me and we should be fine."

Arric gulped as the Glaceon pushed the sled forward towards the edge of the hill, letting it fall forward. Arric felt his stomach rise to his throat as they sped down the hill, kicking up the snow behind them. He felt the Glaceon lean to the right and he followed, feeling the sled move swiftly to the left to follow the path that Grace had taken. The trees and snow mounds sped past them, the thrill of the ride bubbling inside of Arric until his cheeks grew sore from smiling so much. They reached Grace and her sled partner at the end of the track, Grace's face beaming.

"That was amazing!" She screamed in delight.

The two of them helped pull the sleds back up the hill and left the pair to others who waited for their turn, some other Glaceon started pulling up their own sleds. Arric and Grace made their way down the hill towards the Glaceon who were creating the decorations. Hannah and Quin were carefully constructing their own, chatting with the Glaceon at the table. Hannah finished placing the finished touches on her bunting as Arric sat next to her. She held up the cloth bunting up at him, it was red and blue in colour with snowflakes and geometric shapes painted onto the cloth.

"What do you think?"

"Very nice." Arric grinned at her.

A blush crept over her face and she stood, excusing herself as she looked for somewhere to hang the bunting. Arric turned to Quin and Grace, the two of them chuckling over Graces attempt of a snowflake, which looked more like a mangled tree. Puffing out her cheeks, she feigned annoyance at Quin as he doubled over laughing as she tried to fix the painting, which only made it worse. Arric joined in, nudging her shoulder with his,

"Perhaps stick to the sleds Grace."

Grace stuck out her tongue, looking down at her painting and bursting out laughing herself, "It really is bad isn't it!"

Arric collected a few pieces of cloth himself and a paintbrush. Carefully he painted along the edges of the banner creating a swirling border. He placed a strip of cloth in the center, stitching the two pieces together before painting small snowflakes over the center piece. Nodding his satisfaction, he passed it to the Glaceon at the head of the table who carried it away to hang it up. Arric stretched, rubbing the back of his neck. He spotted Avice and Bowen walking through the festival grounds, inspecting the work of each of the Glaceon. Avice strode with purpose while Bowen ambled slowly beside her; warmly smiling and chatting easily with the Glaceon they walked by.

"Those two a definitely polar opposites." Bree nodded to the leaders as she sat across Arric.

Arric nodded in agreement, watching as Avice looked up at some of the hanging decorations, giving them a critical eye, "I expected Glaceon to be cold but Master Bowen is quite welcoming."

Bree leaned over lowering her voice, "Tak told me that Madame Avice is Madame Lycia's and Madame Nia's sister. They are triplets!"

Arric's brow shot up in surprise. The three sisters took different evolution paths? It would have been before the revolution took place how were they not pushed to be pure?

Arric shook his head, leaning back in his seat, "How would Tak know this?"

Bree squirmed in her seat suddenly looking uncomfortable. Her hands wrung together as she looked over her shoulder. Glancing back at Arric she opened her mouth but then snapped it shut shaking her head.

"Tak made me promise not to say. He said he wasn't even supposed to tell me but I guess he saw he could trust me. Madame Nia is his aunt after all, so it makes sense that he would know."

Her cheeks burned a bright red. Arric leaned towards her a sly smile on his lips, "Do you have a thing for Tak?"

Bree's eyes widened in shock, bolting upright to her feet, "I uh, Hannah I'm coming!"

The Eevee raced off towards her sister and Arric grinned after her. It was sweet that Bree had a crush but on Tak of all Pokemon? Arric frowned as he remembered his conversation with Tak yesterday. What other things did Tak know and why did he have such insider information. Lycia could not trust a simple Eevee so easily even if he was her nephew. Arric decided the only way to find out for himself was to ask Tak. Arric rose from the table and made his way across the snow towards the lake where the Glaceon were setting up the skating rink. He found Tak tying a piece of rope to a thick stick buried into the ice. Tak looked up as Arric approached, handing him the other end of the rope and pointed to the other stick of the fence. Arric nodded and the two made quick work of their side of the fence, making sure that each piece would unravel if someone bumped into it. Tak checked over their handiwork, grunting his approval. Arric saw his chance.

"Tak how is it that Madame Lycia has so much trust in you? Is it because she's your aunt?"

Tak shrugged, "Umbreon don't normally keep secrets that aren't really worth keeping. I asked and Madame Lycia gave me enough of an answer to be satisfied. If there was anything else that she didn't want to tell me, well, she wouldn't and no matter how much I prodded or pried, she wouldn't budge."

Arric nodded. He knew he was not going to get anything else out of him and it looked as if the festivals preparations had been finished. Glaceon headed for the entrance where Avice and Bowen stood. Tak and Arric followed, joining up with Quin, Hannah, Bree and Grace in the crowd. The sun had begun to set, the sky casting a display of oranges and purples across the snow.

"Glaceon and guests!" Avice called out to the crowd, "Tonight we celebrate the Light Festival. A time to remember the beauty and power we have all accomplished as a family. Enjoy yourselves and remember to grab a seat for when the night lights up the sky!"

A cheer rose through the crowd and began to disperse. A group of Glaceon pushing carts scurried over to the tables, placing dish after dish until six of the tables were covered in all sorts of delicious food. Arric collected a small plate and grabbed some of the fish and fruit he found on one table, before moving to the next, grabbing bits of different dishes until he was satisfied. He sat with Quin and Hannah who were already eating their own collection. The food melted in his mouth and he remembered how hungry he was. Wolfing down what remained on his plate; he placed the dish in a wash bin and took a stroll through the festival. He spied Bree and Tak slowly making their way around the skating rink, lost in conversation. He chuckled to himself at how cute they looked together. He found Grace with the sleds, loudly announcing her victory against another Glaceon, willing anyone else to give her another race. She spotted Arric and called out to him.

"Hey Arric! Think you can beat me?"

Arric held his hands up in defeat, "We already know who the champion here is Grace."

She pouted before turning to a Glaceon beside her. Arric shook his head smiling to himself as he settled on one of the seats that were place for viewing the lights. The moon above lit the whole grounds around him and Arric could not imagine what these lights were that a whole festival was dedicated to them.

"Not partaking in the festivities Arric?"

Arric whirled around to find Bowen sitting across from him. The Glaceon smiled warmly at him and Arric sank back down in his seat.

"Not really in the celebrating mood." Arric confessed.

"Your friends mentioned you were having bad dreams."

Arric bristled. So they did talk about him behind his back and worse they noticed him having bad dreams and they were all talking about it. Arric looked to the ground at a loss on what to say. What else were his friends talking about him behind his back? Did they all think he was crazy, weak?

"They were merely concerned for you." Bowen answered as if he could sense Arric's thoughts, "They wanted to know if Avice and I knew of anything about dreams and the Evolution Ritual. Tak especially."

Arric looked up at the Glaceon. His eyes searched his for any sign that the Glaceon was not trying to trick him that his friends really did think he was crazy but found none. His heart filled with comfort and with guilt. His friends were only trying to help.

"What did you tell them?"

Bowen leant back in his seat, watching the Glaceon that surrounded them, "I told them we were not the right people to talk to."

Arric huffed. Of course, they were not. Nothing was ever easy. Bowen hummed a sound of delight at the Eevee's annoyance, "Madame Estella would the best to see about dreams."

Ah yes of course. Estella was a psychic Pokemon and she could eat dreams, which would help decipher them. The only problem was that they would not be visiting the Espeon territory until last.

"Madame Estella has been known to visit the other territories from time to time. She especially enjoys visiting the Umbreon and Leafeon territories." Bowen continued, his eyes now followed his mate as she made her way to the head of the viewing area. He stood, looking over at Arric with a sad look in his eyes, "I only wish for these nightmares to get better. Try not to let them get to you, who knows, perhaps they are trying to tell you about something deeper."

The Glaceon moved over to Avice, leaving Arric to ponder over his words. Would Estella really be able to help him decipher his dreams or would it lead to only more questions than answers? Frustration bubbled inside him, why was this only happening to him? Avice's voice caught his attention, the Glaceon stood tall as she addressed the crowd before her, Bowen standing next to her.

"The lights will soon come to grace us. I thank you all for sharing this moment with us."

Avice's tail and ears began to glow as she gathered a small ball of white in her hands. Above lights began to waver across the night sky in all the colours of the rainbow. Reds and greens danced with blues and yellows, the light dancing across the night sky, hiding the stars. Avice lifted her hands to the sky and a bright beam shot out into the dark, bursting like a firework sending snowflakes to slowly drift down over the festival and frozen lake. Arric held out his hands and, letting a few land in his palm. They felt cool to the touch, melting to his warmth. Around him, Glaceon looked up at the sky, enjoying the view above them as Avice sent wave after wave of snowflakes down upon them. The lights reflected off the snowflakes and soon it looked like the skylights had drifted down to surround them. Arric had never seen anything so beautiful.

Eventually the festival began to wind down. Glaceon packed up what they could, leaving the decorations for tomorrow while some stayed to watch the lingering lights in the sky late into the night. Arric joined his friends to be lead back to the sleeping chamber by a Glaceon. Grace and Quin talked over each other about the lights, their excitement sent into overdrive. Tak and Bree followed ahead with Bowen asking questions on how the Glaceon find their way through the tunnels and what events did they hold in the main hall chamber. Hannah walked beside Arric in a comfortable silence. The pair watched their friends in front of them before Hannah yawned, holding up a hand to cover her mouth.

"I never thought I'd be so happy for bed." She laughed but caught herself, "I'm sorry Arric."

Arric yawned and gave her a lopsided grin, "You're not the only one."

"Do the nightmares come every night?" Hannah's voice was just above a whisper.

Arric shook his head, "No. I never know and otherwise I don't dream at all."

Hannah fell silent, her eyes locked straight ahead, as she mulled over the information. She sighed heavily stopping at Arric's door facing him, "For what it's worth, we only have a few weeks left until the Evolution Ritual."

Arric winced. He still had no idea who he was going to pledge for. The other territories had all been marvelous in their own way but none called to him.

"That's true." He gave Hannah a quick hug, "Good night Hannah."

Hannah left him to his room, Arric closing the door behind him and slumping down on the bed. Exhaustion began to set him and he looked down at the bed, his stomach tying itself into knots just at the thought of sleep. He rested his back against the wall and stared into the darkness. Images of the volcano, tree and waterfall flashed through his mind, settling onto the swirling eyes of the beast. The scraping claws still echoed through his ears and he felt himself begin to tremble. Steeling himself, he pushed the thoughts aside and concentrated on the Evolution Ritual. The Flareon were never going to be a choice, he adored Lea but the way Vesper had treated him growing up left a bad taste in his mouth. The Vaporeon were fighting a feud, which he could not understand, the Leafeon were kind but held so many secrets. Arric went through his thoughts over and over late into the night before he realized he had finally fallen asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Can anyone tell me why we are walking so early in the morning?" Grace staggered behind Hannah and Tak, "And when it's still dark."

Arric stifled a yawn himself, struggling to keep pace next to Quin behind the pack. The snow sunk them to their knees, making their progress slow. The moon hid behind grey clouds and the sky was slowly beginning to lighten with the morning light. Tak looked over his shoulder to Grace,

"Master Bowen and Madame Avice told us to that's why. You're more than welcome to go back and ask if it saves us having to listen to you complain all day."

Grace heaved her pack higher onto her shoulder and grumbled. For the next few hours, the group stumbled through the snow in a tired comfortable silence. Arric took in his surroundings, letting his gaze wander over the horizon. The bare trees were slowly becoming denser; the green leaves that were originally missing in the snow were beginning to spot the branches in small bunches.

By mid-morning, the group had stopped by a small stream to rest for a light breakfast and to refill their canteens. Hannah and Bree fussed over the cooking pot, while Quin and Grace filled the canteens. Arric sat by the fire, poking at the tiny flames with a stick lost in thought. Master Bowen had awoken them just before dawn, telling them to gather their things and make their way towards the Jolteon territory as quickly as they could. When they questioned him, the Glaceon merely shook his head and pushed them through the tunnels to the surface. Avice had met them at the tunnel entrance, a dark expression sunk into her features but her eyes flickered with worry as she had watched the group stumble before her in the dark.

"You must reach the Jolteon territory as soon as possible. Do not delay. It is imperative that you finish this Evolution Ritual as quickly as possible. I am sorry to say but your days at the next few territories are limited. Finish up at the Jolteon territory as quick as you can."

Hannah and Bree began to protest and Avice put up her hand to silence them, a threatening look in her eyes. "Do not argue. Go."

Arric flicked the stick off into the bushes and leant back as Hannah passed him a bowl of food. The warm contents felt good to hold against his chest, as the air was still chilly. If they were to finish the Evolution Ritual quicker than usual, then the ritual would not fall on the next moon. Were they to stay in the Espeon village until then? What was the hurry? Arric mulled over these thoughts as he ate, looking over at his friends. They all stared into their own bowls, lost in thought.

When they had finished their meal, they quickly packed up camp and headed for the Jolteon territory once more. By late afternoon, they had all but left the cold snow behind them and gladly welcomed the warmer fields that stretched out before them; small hills covered in knee-high grass spread out around them. Before long Hannah and Bree quickened their pace, motioning to the others to follow.

"Come on! We're almost there!"

Matching their pace, Arric followed along. The two girls buzzed with excitement, eager to return home and soon Arric found himself struggling to keep up with them. Coming to the top of a hill the group stopped, scanning the small valley that laid before them below. Small huts made of stone and wood littered the small valley; the walls of the valley surrounded the village, protecting it from the elements. With Hannah leading the way, the group followed a small path into the village. They passed several of the small buildings and Arric could not help but notice a few of them were in need of repair. The roofs needed patching; some doors were hanging and most looked abandoned.

"Hannah, why is it so quiet here?" Grace asked.

Bree flashed a smile at them, "These are just at the edge of the village, no one really uses these buildings anymore."

Arric could not shake the cold feeling that crept up his spine as they drew deeper into the valley. The walls felt like they closed in on him and were much bigger as they reached the bottom. The group stumbled to a wall with a large arch made of stone. At the entrance, two Jolteon stood, their bright yellow pelts glinting as the sun touched them. Their hair spiked and almost looked like sharp needles, the edges of their fur fully spiked on their hips and legs. Their tails were bobbed and just as spiky. They eyed the group carefully before nodding, stepping aside to let them through.

"Master Volke has been expecting you." One spoke. His voice deep and cold, "He wants to see you Hannah after you have settled our guests."

Arric noticed Hannah stiffen; she nodded curtly and motioned for them to follow. Passing the gates, the group came into a large courtyard. A community of small buildings were to one side. The buildings were lined in several rows, each one looking the same as the other, big enough for a small family of Jolteon to live in. On the other, a large stone building rose high above them. It looked big enough to hold a few hundred Pokemon. On the far side, there were a few smaller buildings, one of them Hannah led the group to, ushering them inside quickly. Inside they found that it was a small bunkhouse. One room contained several bunk beds lined along the wall. The rest of the rooms consisted of a bathroom, small kitchen and a large living room, scattered with chairs and tables. Arric dropped his pack at one of the beds, taking in the surroundings.

Hannah twisted her hands together nervously, "Settle in, I'll go see Master Volke and Bree and I will give you a tour later."

She gave a quick glance to Bree before leaving. Bree watched her go, a confused look on her face and she turned to find the rest of the group watching her.

"What?"

Quin picked at his pack nervously, "It seems a little strange doesn't it?"

Tak grunted, "You mean the fact that there are barely any Jolteon around beside the ones we saw at the gate? Not much of a welcome."

Quin squirmed in his seat but could not bring his eyes to meet Bree, "Yes. It does seem….. Vacant."

Bree growled, "Jolteon tend to keep to themselves here. We aren't all sun and rainbows like Glaceon and Leafeon."

"We didn't mean any offence, Bree," Grace said carefully, "It's just that, doesn't something feel off?"

Bree shook her head, "It's just different here."

Silence fell over the group as they made themselves busy. Hannah shortly returned, her face tired and her body slumped. She gathered herself, running a hand through her hair, addressing her friends.

"Master Volke wanted me to give you a tour. Come with me."

She left through the door, the others following behind her. She took them across the courtyard towards the large building. Inside was what looked to be a small stadium. Rows of seats lined the outside and in the center was a large dirt field.

"Here is where we train, enjoy a game or two or hold village meetings," Hannah explained.

She led them back outside and headed towards the community of houses on the other side of the courtyard. Arric noticed a few Jolteon watching them from inside their houses.

"This is the housing area. All Jolteon families live in these houses. They are all the same so that everyone is equal."

Hannah led the group back to the other side of the courtyard back to the bunkhouse, stopping outside. She pointed to a side path that led to the back of the village.

"There are a few fields out that way, it's where most of us go and have fun, or a lot of the time Jolteon are out gathering." She pointed over to a building at the back of the courtyard standing alone, "That is Master Volke's home."

"And I expect none of you to step foot there while you are here." A deep growl greeted them.

A large Jolteon stepped out of the bunkhouse, his spiked hair stood on end like a Mohawk, his fur a bright golden yellow. His eyes were dark brown and they bore into the group before him.

"Master Volke." Both Hannah and Bree dipped their heads in respect, avoiding his gaze.

A sly smile crossed the Joelton's lips as he looked over the group, "Welcome to the Jolteon Village. You won't find a safer and equal community here. We like to keep to ourselves and keep in line. Unlike my brothers."

Arric's ears perked up, 'Your brothers?"

Volke laughed, it was cold and hollow, "Yes that hot-headed Flareon Vesper and too calm for his own good Vaporeon Karn are my brothers."

 _More Tribe Leaders who are related_. Arric thought.

The Jolteon crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe of the bunkhouse.

"So, any of you younglings pledging Jolteon, or are you here to waste my time?"

Hannah quickly stepped forward, "I'm sure after seeing how great our village is, my friends will be more than likely to pledge Jolteon."

Volke glared at her and Arric watched as Hannah shrunk into herself, her gaze never leaving the ground. Arric felt anger begin to bubble up inside him. Tak snorted his disgust, which broke Volke's gaze, his mouth twisting into a sneer, "Well see to it you do pledge Jolteon. After the Evolution Ritual, Jolteon is the side you wish you were on."

Volke strode off in the direction of his house leaving the group to watch after him. Grace wrapped an arm around Quin who trembled where he stood. Tak let out a growl and mumbled to himself as he brushed past Hannah into the bunkhouse and soon the rest of them followed, leaving Arric and Hannah standing alone outside. Arric approached Hannah who still stared at the ground, her eyes distant and lost in thought.

"Hannah are you okay?"

Hannah lifted her head slowly, meeting Arric's gaze with her own, anger burning in her eyes. She looked tired and defeated and Arric could not help but feel she was fighting something inside her.

"I'm fine Arric." She said finally.

Turning on her heel, she stormed into the bunkhouse, leaving Arric to follow her inside. The group had separated to their own corners, busy with their own business. When dinner came, Hannah and Bree left to gather some supplies for food and returned with enough to make a satisfying meal that the group ate in silence. By the time it was ready for bed, the atmosphere in the bunkhouse felt thick with dread. Arric crawled into his bunk, which sat between Tak and Quin; he found it once again difficult to fall asleep. Thoughts of his dreams and the way Volke had spoken to them left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 _What did he mean the best side to be on? What was going to happen after the Evolution Ritual?_

Arric tossed and turned in his bunk in a desperate bid to sleep or at least come to terms with his thoughts and it was not until hours later that he finally drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke, he found himself in the same dream. Fear closed in on him as the familiar surroundings of the volcano, waterfall and tree came into his view. However, this time something new had joined him. A giant sphere of ice called out to him in the darkness. Arric thought he could see rainbows of light flickering inside the sphere, begging him to release them from their icy prison. The need to be free gnawed at his mind, drawing him to the sphere and he felt himself walking towards the sphere, just as he had with the other entities. With all his strength he pulled his gaze away from the sphere, the need to be free slowly ebbed away from his mind. Frustration replaced it and he screamed out into the darkness.

"What do you want from me?"

His voice echoed out as tears welled in his eyes. He looked around him, trying to find a way out. He slapped his cheeks willing himself to wake up. His cheeks stang with each strike but he still found himself stuck in the fog. Arric sunk to his hands and knees defeated, the stone beneath him felt cool to the touch. He wiped his hands over the stone, it was smooth, no cracks or scratches on its surface. If he looked close enough, Arric could almost make out his reflection. Sighing, Arric stood and considered each entity carefully. What could they all mean and why now were they appearing?

A chill suddenly went up his spine as he noticed that the fog around him was beginning to thicken. The entities were starting to dim in the distance as the darkness started to creep towards him. Claws scraped against stone, a hissing breath circled him. The fog swirled in every direction, a thump and then a deep growl rumbled towards Arric.

"What do you want?" Arric yelled at the creature in the darkness.

The creature circled him as the darkness closed in. Its violet eyes taunting him, its growls echoed in Arric's ears, making his heart pound in his chest. It was toying with him. Anger bubbled inside him and his hands balled into fists.

"I said what do you want!"

A rush of wind hit Arric with force, knocking him to the ground. It tore at his fur, filled his ears with a deafening howl, pushing all the breath out of him. He struggled to pull himself up but the more he struggled the stronger the wind became. Squinting through the wind Arric looked up at the creature, violet eyes swirling to an azure blue, its voice a whisper in his ear.

"To see."

The wind rushed him even harder and Arric was forced to screw his eyes shut in pain. He curled himself into a ball to try to protect himself, the wind turned into an icy blizzard, shards cutting into his skin. He screamed out in pain, the hot wet feeling of blood seeping onto his skin. The wind continued; every time Arric breathed, he felt the wind take over his lungs, suffocating him until once again the world fell into darkness.

Arric shot out of bed covered in sweat. Something grabbed his arm and he twisted away screaming. The grip grew tighter and something clamped over his muzzle. Fighting, Arric clawed at his mouth, desperate to be free.

"Ouch! Arric quit it! It's me!"

Arric stopped struggling, facing his attacker and coming face to face with Tak. Tak wore a scowl on his face, his dark eyes filled with concern. Tak let go of him and Arric rubbed his snout where Tak has held his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry I th-"

Tak cut him off with a finger to his lips, gesturing towards the other beds. Quin and Grace were watching them, a concerned look on their faces. Suddenly Arric realised Hannah and Bree were missing. Tak crept out of bed and motioned for the others to follow him. Quietly they snuck from the bunkhouse towards the stadium. Torches lit half the inside of the building and as they drew closer, they heard heated words. Tak carefully opened the door and slipped in, with Arric, Quin and Grace following quietly behind. They slipped behind some of the seats and peered out at the small group that stood in the centre area of the stadium.

Volke, Hannah and Bree stood arguing. The giant Jolteon towered over the two Eevee. Hannah stood with her hands on her hips, Bree beside her looking confused and angry as the two fought. The small group crept closer to hear, keeping to the shadows.

"I don't care what the other tribe leaders want and you know that. Your job was to bring them here and you did that, the deal is done." Volke growled.

Hannah shook her head, "This is wrong! The other tribe leaders will find out what you are doing and-"

"And do what?" Volke cut her off. His face dark with a cold expression, "What could they possibly do? Once I'm done with you and your _friends_ they will have no choice but to accept it!"

"What is he going to do?" Quin whispered.

Grace hissed at him to be quiet, returning her attention to the group, "It looks like Master Volke doesn't intend for us to leave."

A low growl rumbled in Tak's throat. "Madame Lycia warned me of this."

"What do you mean Tak?" Arric hissed, "What aren't you telling us?"

Tak turned to Arric to speak but a loud shriek tore his attention back to Volke, Hannah and Bree. Volke clutched a clawed hand around Bree's arm, pulling her close to him. Hannah lashed out at him and Volke kicked out at her, landing a blow to her stomach, taking her to the ground.

"You told me they were going to pledge Jolteon Hannah. I don't have time to wait for this stupid ritual. I don't need more Vaporeon or Flareon running around. If you want to be next in line, then stop acting like your mother and take it into your own hands!"

Volke kicked open a box at his feet and pulled out a stone. It ebbed a vibrant yellow in the dim light, crackling with electricity in the Jolteon's hands. Bree struggled in his grasp, pulling away from him, her eyes wide with fear.

"You promised me to have them convinced by the time they came here and all I find is your pathetic attempt at making friends. I need _Jolteons_ Hannah."

Volke kicked at Hannah on the ground, she groaned, clutching her stomach in pain.

"Hannah!" Bree struggled to get to her, Volke pulled her back sharply.

Volke hissed at her, pulling her to the ground, pushing her face into the dirt to subdue her, the stone in his hand starting to grow brightly.

"You disappoint me Hannah. If you want to take my place then you need to show a bit of initiative like your father." Volke growled at Hannah, his attention turning to Bree. "Take this stone Bree. You and Hannah can be the first and then I'm sure the rest of your little friends will join when they see it's the only choice they have."

Bree struggled under his weight, tears streaming down her face. Volke cackled coldly as he brought the stone closer to her, pushing it into her closed fists. Arric felt something inside him snap. He did not even feel himself moving until he was halfway across the room and he never felt his weight against the Jolteon until his fist had finished connecting to the tribe leader's face, his body smashing into Volkes. Arric tumbled with Volke across the ground and the rest of the group rushed to gather Bree and Hannah.

"Arric let's go!" Tak scooped Bree to his chest and sprinted for the door.

Arric leapt to his feet, glancing quickly over his shoulder at the Jolteon wiping his bloody face with his hand. Everything exploded into a frenzy around him when he realised what he had done. Arric's heart pounded in his chest as he burst through the door after his friends. They raced towards the entrance of the compound, straight past the Jolteon set on guard.

"Don't let them escape!" Volke roared, "I want them all back here now!"

The houses seemed to burst into life as Jolteon left their houses after them. The shouts following them out into the night as the group sprinted for the forest at the edge of the fields. The grass swishing against their legs, the blood rushing in their ears, their chests heaving with ragged breaths as the crowd behind them grew closer.

"Tak, we won't be able to outrun them for long!" Grace shouted.

Tak looked behind them, Bree still in his arms, Hannah right beside him with Quin and Grace following close behind. He gestured to a dry riverbank.

"There! When you reach it, split up. Find somewhere to hide and do not leave until you know they are gone. Then find the closest village and get help!"

"Tak are you sure wh-" Hannah began.

"Just do it!" Tak roared at her.

They each leapt into the riverbank and scattered. Arric sprinted along the bank, his friends gone from sight. He could hear a few Jolteon on his tail and pumped his legs harder, his lungs burning. He followed the bank until it came to a thicket of trees, Arric bounded into them, the Jolteon hot on his trail. Branches whipped at his face as he scrambled through the forest. Darkness surrounded him; he had no idea where he was and where he was going. He needed to get away. What was Volke planning to do with them and did the other Tribe Leaders know? Why would they send them here if they knew this would happen? Did Bowen and Avice betray them?

Arric sprung to his left and hurdled over some branches, feeling a sickening drop in his stomach as the ground disappeared beneath him and he fell into a dark hole. His arms flailed around him to catch his fall but they met nothing. He looked up to see the faces of Jolteon silhouetted against the moonlit sky, peering down over the edge, a look of fear on their faces.

Arric hit the bottom with a sickening thud, his body rolled down over rocks, deeper into the small ravine. He felt pain shoot through his leg as he hit a rock on his way and he hoped the snap he heard was not his leg. Reaching out to try to grab something to stop himself, his hands only slipped over loose stones and dirt. He continued to roll until he reached the bottom, throwing his body against something solid, cracking his head on the ground. Arric watched as the world around him seeped into darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Arric woke to the sound of trickling water. The soft fall of the water sounded distorted and he was not sure if it was as close as he really thought. Had he finally reached the waterfall in his dream? It was still dark, his head swimming as he pulled himself up, using the rock wall behind him to sit himself up. Why was it still so dark? How long had he been sleeping? Licking his lips, he found them cracked and burning, his fur was a tangled mess of dirt, small sticks, his tail matted. With a grunt, he made a move to pull it towards him only to be met with shooting pain up his right leg. Everything ached and as he looked up to the sky, he saw the soft twinkling of stars, the moon poking its face from behind the grey clouds.

Arric groaned. This was no dream. He was still at the bottom of the ravine. The events of the night rushing through his mind, from Volke almost forcing Bree to evolve to his slip off the edge into the ravine. Where was everyone now?

"Hey is anyone out there!"

Arric's voice choked out into a raspy whisper. His throat was dry and sticky and his head pounded. He caressed the back of his skull where it throbbed the most and found his fur coated in something dry and cracking, flaking off into his hands as he pulled at the gummed up pieces of fur. _Is this blood?_ Arric swallowed, his stomach twisted, threatening to make him vomit as he looked down at his leg. In the darkness, he could not see how it looked and as long as he did not move, it did not hurt. He ran his hands carefully over the ankle and up his leg.

 _Please don't be broken. Please, please, please._

He winced as his hands squeezed just above his ankle. It hurt but not as much as he had expected. Breathing a sigh of relief that it was most likely sprained or slightly fractured, Arric set to focus on his surroundings. Every time he moved his head, the world spun, making him stop before he was sick. He leant his head back, looking back up at the sky, watching the clouds go by. His eyelids fluttered with exhaustion and he willed himself to stay awake.

"Stay awake Arric, you can't fall asleep, you need to find the others, and you need to stop Mas…"

Arric felt himself slip back unconscious, waking to the swirling mist of his dream. For once Arric was pleased to be here. His head was clear and he stood, thankful that he was not hurt in his dream as well. The entities stood before him, the creature nowhere in sight but Arric knew that it would not be long before he had to face him again and it made him shudder with fear. The tree and waterfall beckoned to him and he had to resist the thirst building up inside when he noticed the new entity between them. A dark sphere like the ice sphere floated just off the ground. It was larger than Arric, the surface from what Arric could see was smooth and reflective. It crackled with electricity, sparks shooting around the sphere in bolts of lightning, the sound of the bolts crackled in his ears and the more he stared at the sphere, the more he felt energized, his fur fluffing out in static and the need to touch the sphere raged inside him.

Arric pulled himself away, focusing on the stone floor beneath him. His breathing heavy and he closed his eyes, trying to focus on the darkness around him, trying to ignore the pull of each entity. They all called to him, willing him to them but at the same time, the thought of going near any of them terrified him. Was he cursed to be tortured by these entities one by one? What did they want? What was he supposed to do?

Cradling his head in his hands he crouched down, gripping the fur on his face he willed to wake up. _Give me the pain, I don't care, I don't want to be here! Make it stop!_ A crackle of thunder made him spring up in surprise. The dark sphere was suddenly alive, the bolts of lightning ripped across its surface like fire. The air felt heavy, the mist thickening, the sparks from the sphere danced across the mist towards him, surrounding him in a cloud of electricity. His fur sparked with static as he started to scream, trying to brush off the sparks that flittered across his fur, jolting him. The sphere thundered again, lighting up the darkness in a bright flash of light, electricity arcing around it, building up until it burst, a large bolt of lightning raced towards Arric. He flung his arms in front of him, feeling the bolt hit him, searing pain shooting through him before everything turned dark.

Arric woke to tremendous pain in his leg. Screaming in agony, he gripped his leg it felt hot to the touch and had swelled to nearly twice the size it was before. It was a while before the pain had boiled down enough to a dull ache but the swelling remained. Arric knew he was in trouble. He could not wait for someone to find him. Gritting his teeth, he grasped the wall behind him and pulled himself painfully to his feet, keeping off his right foot. Panting Arric took in his surroundings now that sunlight was streaming into the ravine.

"How long was I out?"

Looking up at the sky, he could guess it was close to noon. The sun was already making the ravine stuffy and hot, Arric's throat burned; licking his lips, he winced at the pain of his cracked lips. The trickling of water caught his ears and he whipped his head towards it. Water was slowly trickling down the wall of the ravine in several places and he stumbled towards the closest one. Pressing his hands against the wall to capture the water, bringing it to his lips repeatedly until he fell forwards and hugged his face to the wall, lapping up the cool water with his tongue until he quenched his thirst and calmed his throat.

Wiping the water from his chin, Arric surveyed the walls of the ravine for a way up. It was fruitless; there was no way he was going to be able to climb up on his own, let alone with his busted leg. He looked towards the passageway; it was large enough for him to walk through but for how long? Where did it even lead? Arric searched the ground for something sturdy to lean on. He found a stick thick enough to bear his weight and leaned on it, using it to hobble along the passageway of the ravine. The top of the ravine closed off in sections, making short tunnels, the stone walls twisted and jagged like teeth, scraping at him if he stumbled or had to squeeze through a hole. His leg burned, he was thirsty again, his stomach growled and it was getting dark.

Arric finally decided to stop in a small alcove that sheltered him from the night air. He drank from a small pool that had collected from water falling above. _I must be near the river still if there is still water falling from the sides._ Arric slid down against the wall, setting his stick on the ground beside him. He rubbed his leg, wincing as he massaged the swelling until it no longer gripped him in pain and was back to a dull ache. _What I wouldn't give for one of Quin's balms now._

His heart dropped at the mention of his friend. Where were they now? Had they escaped the Jolteon? Were they looking for him? Was Master Volke really going to force them all into evolving to Jolteon? He asked Hannah to get them to pledge Jolteon but that was no different from what everyone else had been doing. Arric leant against the wall deep in thought. _If Master Volke was going to force them, then this whole Evolution Ritual was for nothing. The Tribe Leaders had agreed to this Evolution Ritual and yet Master Volke was going to change us anyway. Was this his plan all along? What was Hannah thinking?_

Arric rubbed his face in frustration. He had to find his friends, Tak and Hannah would surely know more. What was going to happen to them now? Arric's stomach dropped when he remembered tackling Master Volke. He had attacked a Tribe Leader. Arric stared at his hands in the fading light. Punishment for attacking a Tribe Leader was exile. _I don't even properly belong in the Flareon Tribe and I'm already exiled_. _At this rate, I'll be stuck as an Eevee forever._

Arric sighed, dropping his hands to his lap. He was exhausted but he did not want to sleep. He did not want to dream; he did not want to be awake. He felt emptiness gnawing inside him and he was scared. Scared of his future, scared for his friends and terrified that he was never going to get out of this ravine in time to find his friends and make the Evolution Ritual. He had to tell the Tribe Leaders what Master Volke had done, that the Jolteon were hunting him. Arric's eyes fluttered as he fought sleep. His thoughts swirled in his head as he nodded off to sleep.

Again, Arric awoke to the burning pain in his leg. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes as he massaged the swelling down enough that it was tolerable but he knew this would not last long if he did not find help. Streaks of light poked their way through the holes in the ceiling of the alcove, telling him it was morning. He drank from the pool again, wishing he had his bag with his canteen in it. He felt weak from hunger and exhausted from the pain. Steeling himself, he picked up his stick and hauled himself up, willing himself forward through the endless tunnel of the ravine, keeping a lookout for any way out, a small incline up or even some vines he could somehow haul himself out of the ravine.

He was making steady progress when he tripped over a stone and fell forward onto his face. His leg felt like it was on fire and he screamed in agony, pushing his nose in the dirt to wait until the pain subsided, taking deep breaths between muffled screams. Tears streamed down his cheeks, he wanted to go home. His friends' faces flashed through his mind but he pushed them aside. He was going to lay here and forget about everything; perhaps he would slip into unconsciousness again and finally stay there. The darkness looked welcoming and he could walk towards each entity until one day he could finally touch the trunk of the tree or drink from the cool waterfall.

His chest racked with sobs as the pain finally subsided and he rolled onto his back, looking up at the edges of the ravine. He could see the trees lining the edges, fruit swaying gently in the breeze and Arric snorted. Of course, there was food and he could not even reach it. He covered his eyes with his hands, screaming his frustrations to the sky, "Somebody help me!"

He listened to the fading echoes of his voice travel down the ravine. It was a small comfort; it almost felt like he was not alone anymore. He felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over him and this time he did not care if he did not wake up this time. As his eyes dropped, he watched the leaves sway in the trees at the edge and as his eyes closed, he swore he saw a face poke over the edge, bright eyes peering down at him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The sound of shuffling drifted in and out of Arric's mind and he thought he heard voices mumbling as he faded in and out of consciousness. Arric strained to hear the voice more clearly, the throbbing in his head made his body feel heavy and his eyes refused to open. He felt something wet dripping into his mouth and struggled to take in the cool liquid being fed to him. It tasted bitter and he coughed, spluttering and choking himself awake, the world around him slowly spun to a stop, becoming clearer as he could finally open his eyes. The world was blurry and bright, he squeezed his eyes shut to get them used to the light, opening them slowly, letting his surroundings come into focus.

Something cold pressed against his leg, the dull ache ebbing slowly to the beat of his heart but the cool press made it bearable. He felt small hands working on his leg, soft and warm. They disappeared and returned shortly, massaging a warm liquid into his skin that smelled like herbs grown in the fields. The dull pain in his leg now only ebbed when he moved and Arric felt a sigh of relief escape his lips as he sat watching the sky.

Pulling himself to his elbows, Arric peered at the Eevee who was working on his leg. He was small and Arric felt tears well up in his eyes as he recognised the satchel at the Eevees feet. The Eevee turned towards him, his bright eyes full of concern and relief as a small, tired smile spread over his face.

"Q- Quin?" Arric managed to croak.

Quin chuckled, letting out a sharp yelp as Arric wrapped his arms around him, pulling him down to his chest and burying his face into his shoulders. Quin hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace, a small smile forming on his lips as he felt Arric chest shudder with sobs, a mourning wail muffled into his shoulder. He patted his friends back soothingly in comfortable silence as he let Arric calm himself, pulling back to attend to his leg when Arric slumped back to the ground. Quin glanced over at him. Arric stared up at the sky, his eyes looked sunken in and pale, his lips cracked and bleeding but most of all he looked haunted like there was something on his mind that tormented him. He broke his stare and set himself back to working on Arric's leg. It did not look broken but it did not look good either. It was swollen, red and angry and Quin knew the ointment he had rubbed on would only help ease the pain. He needed to get Arric back to the others.

"I thought no one was ever going to find me."

Arric's voice was barely a whisper but it rang loud in the silence. Quin turned to face Arric, finding him watching him. His eyes were wide in fear, bags sat under them, his fur matted and flecked with blood.

"I was afraid that I was going to be left alone again."

Quin shuffled next to him, helping Arric to sit up, the Eevee leant against him, his breathing ragged with the occasional hiccup of a sob. Quin watched him carefully, he looked so defeated and it scared him. This Eevee had dashed into a blazing workshop, pulled him from being swept away, took on a Tribe Leader to help Bree and had always been there for him and now he looked like he was giving up. Arric drew his chin to his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs and tucking his tail firmly against him. He looked ahead of him but his gaze was somewhere else.

"Before Madame Lea found me, I had been wandering the forests for days. I was only young and I don't remember much but I remember the loneliness." Arric whispered to himself. "I called for my mother and father over and over but no one answered. The days I spent searching for them and the nights I spent holed up under some tree roots hoping the monsters in the dark wouldn't get me."

Quin laid a hand on his shoulder and felt him relax under his touch. Arric placed his own hand over his, squeezing it softly. The two sat in silence for a moment before Arric let out a snort.

"They could have at least told me why they didn't want me. It would have saved me a lot of time searching." He buried his head in his hands, "And a lot of heartache."

Quin stood and dusted himself off, grabbing each of the small pots on the ground and placed them carefully into his satchel, pulling the flap over to close it. Hauling it over his shoulder, he held out a hand for Arric. Arric gazed at his hand for a moment, a smile spread across his lips as he placed his hand in his, using Quin to help him up, leaning on him for support. Quin turned to him, looking up at his friend.

"I can't tell you why they abandoned you but I'm sure you're better off without them."

Arric nodded, is face relaxing and the life slowly flickered behind the tiredness in them. Quin helped Arric over to the wall of the ravine where he had climbed down to get to him. It was by chance that he had heard him on his search and he was more surprised to find the Eevee on his back in the bottom of a ravine. He grasped the rope he had used to slide down the wall, turning to Arric and proceeded to tie the rope around his waist.

"This i- is going to be a bit of work but you're going to have to trust me."

Arric looked up to the top of the wall and then back down to Quin, a determined look had fired up onto his face. He clasped the rope in both hands, setting the paw of his good leg up on the wall.

"Let's get out of this damned ravine."

It took the pair several tries to get Arric up and over the top of the wall. Arric slipped several times, cursing every time his bad leg slipped, the pain making him slow and hesitant to haul himself up. Quin pushed from underneath, using shoulders as a seat for Arric. Together they heaved themselves over the ledge, flopping into a pile at the edge, panting furiously to catch their breath.

"We, we did it, Quin. We made it." Arric panted.

Quin swallowed, desperate to catch his breath and his chest and muscles burned. "Yes. We. Did."

Arric chuckled and clasped the Eevee on the shoulder, giving him a small shake of encouragement. Quin rolled to his feet, padding over to a tree and reached for the fruit that hung from the lowest branches. He tugged a few free and took a bite out of one as he dropped next to Arric, passing him one. Arric's mouth watered as he tore into the fruit, juice dripped off his chin. He devoured three more, taking the canteen of water Quin offered him, gulping down the water greedily, smacking his lips as he finished. He wiped his mouth as he passed the canteen back to Quin and the two stood, Quin letting Arric lean on him for support as Quin led him from the ravine.

"Where are the others?" Arric questioned after they had walked for a few hours.

"After we separated, I headed straight for the Sylveon territory. Many of the Jolteon had gone after you and the others. I was fortunate to slip away easily. It didn't take long until I made it home and told Master Hiro what had happened." He adjusted Arric's arm around his shoulder and continued, "I- I don't really know where Tak and the others got away but Master Hiro left for the Espeon territory, instructing me to search for you and the others. It turns out that Tak took them to Umbreon territory and well I kept searching for you on my way to Umbreon territory to meet with them."

Arric growled at the thought of the Jolteon chasing them. He suddenly felt vulnerable leaning on Quin and shifted to start walking on his own, his eyes darting through the trees. Quin glanced around them nervously, shifting on one foot to the other.

"Master Hiro told me that the Jolteon have been forbidden to join the Evolution Ritual and even come near the other territories until a meeting between the tribe leaders have been made. We should be safe right?"

Arric swept his gaze over the shadows between the trees. His skin crawled at the thought of being watched and his tail twitched uneasily at every sound. There was no way he could protect Quin or even run away at this point but Eeveelutions have been loyal so far. He gave a final sweep of the area before leaning on Quin again and the two continued forward through the trees. It was agonisingly slow with Arric having to stop to readjust his position on Quin or to wait for his leg to stop pounding. The light was beginning to fade into the darkness around them, the shadows growing taller, creeping closer to the Eevee until eventually they had been swallowed by the cover of night. The moon rose above them and Arric almost stumbled over a tree root beneath him when he looked up at it.

"The moon is almost full! How long have I been down in that ravine?"

Quin shuffled next to him uncomfortably. The weight of Arric plus the hours of walking was starting to take a toll on him. By the looks of the area he was sure they were close to the Espeon territory.

"Uh, I think a week maybe more. I had not started searching for you until a few days after we escaped from Jolteon territory."

Quin pushed forward, pulling Arric after him, increasing his pace just fast enough not to make Arric stumble but soon Arric was hopping next to him as the next wave of pain shot through him. Quin moved to slow down but Arric shook his head, surging forward.

"I don't want to sleep on the ground again tonight. It's not much further right?"

Quin nodded cautiously. In truth, he had no idea. Everything looked the same at night and it was not like they had not gotten lost before. If only the others were here, Tak would be able to support Arric and he could concentrate on finding the right way. Under Arric he could barely see in front of him. Arric towered over him like everyone else and his fur covered most of his face as he gripped him to stop Arric from falling.

The moon had reached its full height into the sky when Arric finally stopped, hopping to rest on a stump, groaning as he stretched out his leg to try and rub out the pain. Quin knelt beside him, pulling out his pot of ointment, working it over the swollen part of the leg. Arric hissed at him through gritted teeth and Quin held his leg firm as he threatened to pull away. Arric gripped the stump with white knuckles as Quin worked, letting the ointment seep into his skin and soon the pain ebbed away for him to relax.

"You need to rest Arric." Quin spoke quietly.

"I know that!" Arric snapped. He winced at Quin's wide eyes and his face softened, "I'm sorry. This is all taking its toll on me."

They sat quietly listening to the night around them. Quin packed up the ointment into his satchel, slinging it over his shoulder before speaking, "What do you dream of?"

Arric looked at him, "What?"

"Your dreams, well nightmares." Quin pressed, "Hannah told me she found you curled up in corner one morning absolutely terrified. Tak told me he would watch you toss and turn in your sleep, crying out and I've seen the way you zone out with that haunted look in your eyes."

Arric stared at him in the darkness. The moon shone brightly down on him, he looked even smaller in the night. Like a shadow himself, a ghost who could slip away in an instant and leave him alone in the night. He looked to the ground, the memories of his dreams swirling around in the back of his mind, reaching for the surface.

"It's always shrouded in a mist. It used to be just nothing for ages and no matter how far you walked, no matter which way you went, there was nothing." Arric's voice trembled, "Then things started to appear. Entities. A volcano, a waterfall, a tree, a sphere of ice and one of electricity. One after another they slowly appeared. That isn't the problem though. I can't reach any of them. I run to the tree but I never reach it, I thirst for the water but can never reach it to drink. I've tried to believe me."

Quin watched him silently, willing him to continue. Arric twisted his hands as his eyes searched the ground absentmindedly, lost in thought.

"Every time I'm there I feel like I'm supposed to do something, to _know_ something but I can't remember. I don't know what to do, what it wants from me. I scream and my voice goes unheard and every time. Every damn time something tried to hurt me." Arric swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, "The mist tries to suffocate me, the ice sphere freezes me alive and the creature, this _creature_ hunts me. It taunts me in the darkness, lashes out at me and no matter how hard I ran, it always catches me. It feels so real."

None of them spoke for a long time, the silence growing until Arric pushed himself up, his fists balled.

"I'm sick of not knowing. My dreams, this real meaning behind the Evolution Ritual, Master Volke and these secrets that the tribe leaders continue to keep from us." Arric hobbled over to Quin, stretching an arm around his shoulder, walking alongside him.

The pair walked on in silence, the stars beginning to fade in the sky as it began to grow lighter as the dawn approached. The air had grown cold and the pair huddled for warmth, the ground slick with morning dew as the sun poked its head over the horizon announcing the new day. It was like the forest itself was waking up around them. Birds sang merrily in the trees above them, peering down at them from their perches. Quin surveyed the area carefully, trying to remember any landmarks that he might tell him the way. He had never been to the Espeon territory himself but Master Hiro had told him the way. In fact, they should have reached the territory by now but there was no indication that they had reached it. Where was their village? Why had no one come to greet them and where were the others?

Slowing their pace they came to a small clearing. The trees encircled them, light shone down through the canopy above them and they had come to a complete stop at the edge of the trees.

"Technically we should be in the Espeon territory."

Arric looked over the clearing. It was large enough for a small crowd but nowhere near large enough to hold a whole village.

"I don't understand." Arric said confused.

They stepped out into the clearing, eyes darting back and forth for any sign of an Espeon, Master Hiro or their friends. Arric's fur stood on end and he felt on edge. Something did not add up and he was tired of games.

"Can't anything be easy for once?" He grumbled under his breath.

"That makes two of us Arric my boy."

Quin jumped and spun around, nearly throwing Arric to the ground with the force. A large Sylveon stood before them. His lazy smile sat upon his white-furred face, his pink hair cut short. He stood poised with a regal look, his back straight and his eyes sparkled with amusement as he watched the Eevee before him. At his chin a large furred bow sat, neatly trimmed with two long streamers like ribbons gracefully trailed from behind it. At the base of his ear stood another furred bow with another two ribbons, they lazily floated around him. His long slender legs were socked with pink fur and his short tail twitched with excitement.

"Master Hiro!" Quin squeaked.

The Sylveon gave a flashy show of a bow to the two of them, lifting his head to look at them, his bright blue eyes resting on Arric, a charming smirk placed on his lips, "In the flesh."

Quin quivered with excitement at the sight of his tribe leader. He knew this was the right way and he was able to lead Arric there safely. Everything should be alright now. Arric looked over the tribe leader carefully as he straightened his posture and fiddled with the end of one of his ribbons, suddenly looking bored.

"Where is the Espeon village?"

Master Hiro's eyes lit up and he clasped his hands together, his voice soothe with an air of grace, "Oh it is most splendid my boy! Come! Let me show you both, come along!"

With a skip, the tribe leader headed off past them, leaving Quin to help Arric stumble after them, "Master Quin, please! Arric is injured, you have to slow down!"

The Sylveon paused, looking over his shoulder at them, looking as if he had just noticed that the two of them had suddenly appeared before them. He looked down at Arric and tilted his head.

"Oh yes, so he is. Well no matter, we won't be going far." He waved his hand dismissively and carried on to the other side of the clearing, standing to the side as he waited for the two Eevee to catch up. Arric and Quin were out of breath by the time they reached Hiro and he watched them as they hunched over to catch their breath. With a flourish of his hands, he motioned to a large tree that stood out amongst the others. It was slightly off colour, with the other trees trunks being dark brown. This one was slightly paler, its branches gnarled and its bark looked much smoother.

Arric and Quin looked at each other confused. Hiro chuckled to himself and rapped on the tree with his knuckles and waited. Arric watched in awe as the bark began to shimmer and distort with a purple light and from it outstepped an Espeon. Her long legs slipped from the inside the tree into the forest with ease, her eyes shined as bright as the dark red jewel on her forehead. Her pale purple fur was so short that it looked as if it were non-existent at all. She stood next to Hiro, greeting him with a short nod before turning her attention to the small Eevee before her. Hiro sidled over to stand behind them, grasping the outside of their shoulders, making Arric wince as he pulled them to him.

"You see Estella. I told you my little Quin could find him. So clever and with just enough time to spare don't you think?"

The Espeon said nothing as she closed the gap between them. Her paws were delicate and tiny compared to Hiros and it was if she walked on air, no sound coming from her steps. She eyed the two before falling to one knee to examine Arric's leg. A look of worry crossing her eyes as she brushed Arric's leg gently with her fingertips. Her touch was cool and Arric did not dare move.

"You were injured?"

Her lips moved as she spoke but her voice snaked through his mind, touching every nerve in his brain, setting his mind on fire.

"I fell down a ravine when I was trying to escape the Jolteon."

Hiro clicked his tongue, "Volke has a few things to answer for."

Estella returned to the trunk of the large tree and motioned for them to follow.

"Come, let's get you both safe and settled."

Without another word, she stepped towards the tree and slipped through the shimmering image. Hiro clapped them on the shoulder and pushed them forward, Quin taking a tentative step first and slipping into the tree before Arric. Arric hesitated, looking back at Hiro who nodded with encouragement, a much too broad smile on his face. Arric gulped and looked at the violet shimmering portal before him, closed his eyes and stepped through.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

The world phased around Arric in a whirling tunnel of purple light and he had to fling his hands out in front of him to stop himself from falling forwards as he reached the other side of the tree. Quin held onto him as he slumped forward, kneeling down to the ground as his head stopped swimming. Hiro slipped through behind him, clapping him on the back.

"What did I tell you Arric my boy! Simply marvellous!"

Estella watched them coolly as the two Eevee collected themselves to their feet, with Quin supporting Arric. She waited patiently as they hobbled after her as she led them from the tree down a path through the thicket, with Hiro following behind with a spring in his step. Arric noticed that the trees in the thicket were all an off colour, like they were meant to be green but they were the wrong kind of green. Estella pulled some overhanging leaves aside and let the two Eevee and Sylveon pass before her, letting the branches fall behind her as she passed through. Quin suddenly stopped and Arric lifted his gaze from watching his footing to before him, gasping in silent awe to what stood before them. Two large silver trees rose from the earth before them. Their branches intertwined so tightly all along the length of the tree that it started to get difficult to tell where one tree began and the other finished. Several holes had been carved into the tree, with small wooden railing encircling the openings, allowing the Espeon that peeked out from the hole's safety from falling to the ground. The leaves of the top canopy of the tree were so thick that Arric struggled to see the sky from where he stood and yet the area was lit so well that he had no trouble seeing as if it were day.

Hiro clasped his hands together, rubbing them with excitement, beckoning to Estella the Espeon Home Tree. "Ah Estella my dear, this place always astounds me when I come to visit! Not as ravishing as the Sylveon home I must admit but dashing in its own way!"

Espeon nodded to Hiro without a word and headed for the large hole that had been carved at the very bottom of the tree for the entrance. A few Espeon stood by the entrance, their purple and violet pelts almost shimmering next to the tree. Estella paused at the entrance, giving two of the Espeon a quick nod before pausing to turn to look back and Arric and Quin.

"Two of my people will guide you to the infirmary Arric and then Quin can go and meet with the other Eevee. Get some rest. I understand that there is a lot you want answers for but for now that can wait for tonight."

The two Espeon strode over to Arric and Quin, smiling warmly at them. A violet Espeon took Arric's arm and placed it over his shoulder for support, while the other took Quin's hand and lead him towards the tree opening. Estella raised an eyebrow at Arric as he passed, a look of concern floated across her face as she watched the Espeon lead him into the darkness of the tree. Hiro pulled up beside Estella, watching the two Eevee as well. A sudden serious look crossed his face,

"Avice's scouts have seen small Jolteon groups scouring the trees looking for this place. I don't know if Volke has told them exactly where it is, you haven't exactly been forthcoming to your village whereabouts as of late, I suppose with the recent events that has been a blessing."

Estella did not turn to face him as she replied, her voice even and calm, "The triplets have been careful in gathering information but it won't be long for the Evolution Ritual and I fear Volke won't be as loyal as he claims to be."

"Quin informed me he tried to force one of his daughters to evolve the night this all broke out!" Hiro hissed, his normal aloof demeanour gone, "Where he got a Thunder Stone is beyond me, but we knew he was against the Evolution Ritual, how do we know he isn't just going to storm it?"

The Espeon leader did not answer him. Instead she strode forward through the halls that had been carved into the large trees long ago. They were dimly lit by small balls of light that hung in the air, that shone brighter as she passed. Espeon greeted her as she walked by, their thoughts swirling with her own but she pushed them aside. She felt Hiro follow her as she headed towards the meeting hall where the other Tribe Leaders were set to gather. All but Volke. She had hoped it would not have come to this, that Volke would have waited to see how the Evolution Ritual played out. Estella stepped through a well carved arch way and into the meeting hall where she saw Nia and Avice sitting together at the large round table. Beside them sat Vesper and Karn, a sour look on Vespers face as he muttered quietly to the Vaporeon next to him. Hiro took his place beside Karn, greeting the others warmly with a dashing smile and a wink towards Avice who rolled her eyes at him. Estella's eyes fell on Lycia and the Umbreon gave her a curt nod as she took her place next to her, happy to see that her best friend was unharmed on her travels here. Vesper unfolded his arms and planted them on the table before them, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Arric has been found?" The Flareon managed to hide the waver in his voice but Estella could pick up the panicked nerves from the Flareon leader on the air.

 _So he did care for the Eevee after all_ , Estella thought.

Hiro piped, "Oh yes! Quin, a _Sylveon Eevee_ no doubt, found him at the bottom of a ravine at the edge of the Jolteon Territory. Poor boy looked like he had been through a wringer mind you, with his leg broken and all."

"The boy was injured?" Karn spoke this time, his voice full of concern as he looked at his brother whose eyes grew dark with the news.

Estella shook her head, "He was injured yes but I don't believe it is broken, badly sprained perhaps. He has been sent to the infirmary to be looked at and rest."

"And what of Volke himself? Has he shown himself outside of Jolteon Territory?" Avice's voice was low.

Lycia leaned forward, her hands clasped together, "My scouts have reported no sign of him but there have been Jolteon groups moving through the forests. I assume they are searching for the Eevee or are merely causing a distraction, which one I cannot say."

Vesper leant back in his chair, a hand massaging his forehead as he groaned in frustration, "We should have just left the Evolution to pure lines and not this Evolution Ritual foolery. Volke would have ended up with two more Jolteon and that is more than any of us."

Nia growled low, "There have only been six Eevee born recently. _Six_! There used to be hundreds but because of all this infighting and pure lines, our birth rate is dropping! Who is to say that the next few years will be better? I have only had two reports of pregnancy in my people, _two_!"

"At least you have pregnancies!" Karn stood with a huff, "With the Gyarados attacks, we have barely enough resources to keep rebuilding, let alone have more families!"

The leaders began to raise their voices at one another, Vesper yelling his point to the others, while Karn and Nia rebutted theirs. Avice chimed in a few times while Lycia and Estella watched. Estella sat back in her chair, rubbing her temples with eyes closed. What could they do? Less and less Eevee were being born and they were starting to revolt against the leaders when they wished to choose another Evolution. It was the whole point that they had come up with the idea of the Evolution Ritual in the first place and even then they couldn't bring themselves to work together.

"Tak has informed me that Arric has been having strange dreams." Lycia's voice cut through the others arguing and Estella turned to her.

"What dreams?"

Lycia shrugged, blowing a tuft of her long bangs out of her eyes, "He only said that at night Arric would be tossing and turning, sometimes screaming in his sleep, waking in a cold sweat but he refuses to talk about them. I told Avice and Bowen to suggest coming to you about them."

Estella nodded. Good. She could help Arric with these dreams but not with his pledge. She could not help any of them with it and it frustrated her. As an Espeon she could see things for what they were, what they could be and what potential they had but with Arric she could see nothing and for once she had no idea what to do.

Arric woke to his shoulder being shook. Opening his eyes groggily, he rolled over to find five faces peering down at him. He bolted upright and instantly regretted it as pain shot through his leg and the world began to swim around him.

"Easy Arric, not so fast."

The voice belonged to Tak and Arric blinked back tears as he looked over his friends sitting at the end of his bed. They all looked weary but their smiles were warm. Grace wrapped Arric in a hug, he could feel her hiccup a small sob, brushing away tears as she pulled away to let Bree replace her.

"I'm so glad Quin found you." She said as she pulled away, sitting back at the end of the bed.

"Me too. I was about ready to give up just before he found me. Thanks man."

Quin's cheeks burned red and he mumbled a few words that Arric could not hear but could easily guess. He stretched and looked around at the small infirmary that he had been placed in. There were a small number of cots with sheets hung up around for privacy. Two Espeon sat at a wooden desk chatting quietly to each other, behind them were small shelves filled with all sorts of balms, potions and bandages that Arric had never seen before. There were no other Pokémon in the other beds and Arric pulled back the blanket that covered him to find that his leg had been splinted and bandaged above the ankle. He curled his toes, thankful that only a dull ached accompanied the move instead of the shooting pain he had a few days before.

"No broken bones," Quin informed him, "Just a bad sprain that is going to take a while to heal."

"So no more falling into ravines okay?" Grace nudged him.

Arric laughed, a feeling he had missed dearly. He spied Hannah hanging at the back of them and the memory of Volke's treatment of her flashed through his mind. He looked down at his hand, the feeling of punching Volke still fresh in his mind. He saw Bree clasp a hand over his, her soft eyes staring into his as he looked at her, a warm smile on her face.

"Thank you for saving me from that night. I…" She trailed off unsure on how to continue. It was Hannah who finished for her, "We didn't know our father was going to do that."

Arric looked over at Hannah, her face was downcast, a sad and regretful look perched on her features. She sat on the bed beside Arric's, taking a deep and shaky breath before looking up at her friends. Her stomach felt heavy and the lump in her throat made it hard to swallow. Every night she replayed that scene in her head over and over. Watching as Master Volke, no her father, pushed that Thunder Stone into Bree's hands and she just laid on the ground like a coward.

"You all have every right to be mad at me." She began, her voice soft, "Our father, Master Volke, had ordered me to convince you all to pledge Jolteon before we had reached our village. He had promised for me to be next in line as Jolteon Tribe Leader if I had gotten you all to pledge Jolteon."

Bree grabbed her sisters hand and held it tight, while Grace placed a hand on her knee. Tears pooled in Hannah's eyes as she continued, "But I couldn't do it. After seeing what happened to Grace's home, after what happened to Tak at the Flareon Territory, seeing how happy everyone was at the Leafeon village I just couldn't do it. You were right Bree. You can't force someone to choose. It's not right but I was a coward. I couldn't face Master Volke just like mother and look what happened. This is all my fault."

Tears streamed down Hannah's face as she sobbed. Bree moved to sit next to her and cradled her in her arms. "Hannah we didn't know he was going to do that. He just told you to get us to pledge. He was never like that before, you had no idea."

Hannah shook her head, "But I did." Her words were swallowed in her sobs, "He told me that if I didn't that he was going to make us all Jolteon, ritual or no ritual. I should have known better. I just wanted to make him proud."

She sobbed into her hands. Bree and Grace stroked her back to calm her, while Quin patted her on the shoulder. Tak pulled a chair up beside Arric and motioned him to lean closer to him. Arric eyed the girls and Quin carefully as he shifted closer to Tak. The Eevee had a wary look in his eye as he watched the two Espeon on the other side of the room.

"Obviously there's more to this than what everyone is saying." Tak started. "Madame Lycia warned me that Master Volke might try something but she didn't say what but to force us into an Evolution, I didn't think it was possible." His voice dropped low so that only Arric could hear, "Madame Lycia has told me that she wants you to meet with Madame Estella to talk about your dreams, maybe you can get some answers out of all this from her while I try with Madame Lycia?"

Arric nodded and pulled away from Tak just as an Espeon with a deep violet coat stepped towards them. He gave them all questionable look as he saw Hannah sobbing but shrugged as he spoke, "The Tribe Leaders are awaiting you in the meeting hall. If you will follow me."

Hannah wiped her face with her hands and sniffed, standing with balled fists. She straightened her shoulders and pushed her hair from her face. "Let's go guys, time to get some answers."

The others nodded. Tak helped Arric to his feet, who only needed a small amount of support from the larger Eevee to walk down the dark halls toward the meeting hall. The six Eevee entered through the carved archway and stood before a large table where all but one of the tribe leaders sat watching them. Arric could not help but feel like they were back in the clearing on that first night beneath the full moon before this all began. Tak helped Arric limp to seat, grateful to finally sit down. It had not been a long trek to the meeting hall but Arric was still tired and it was hard to hop through halls. He chanced a glance at Vesper to find the Flareon eyeing him carefully from across the large table. It had felt like ages from when he had seen him that he felt a small pang of home sickness towards the fiery Pokémon.

Estella cleared her throat and stood, addressing the room calmly, "The Evolution Ritual is not very far away. These setbacks have prevented you six from visiting all the territories but I am sorry to say that we cannot push this back. You will need to pledge in three nights' time of who you will want to Evolve into." She eyed the other tribe leaders carefully before continuing, "I know what Master Volke has done is unspeakable but we will not deter your choice if it is still Jolteon. We will keep you safe here to recover and I will have you escorted to the Evolution Ritual where you will make your choice."

Arric began to speak when Estella raised her hand and he felt himself being shut into silence. He suddenly felt no will to speak but his mind raced. His anger flared as he glared at Estella but her cool gaze did not waver.

"I know you all have questions but rest assured that we have our reasons for doing what we did."

Hannah pushed her chair back and slammed a fist on the table, "You've been lying to us from the start! There was not Evolution Ritual before this. Why is it now and why have you been hiding it from everyone?"

Nia sighed and carefully stood, her ears twitched as she spoke, "Before you were born, it was normally pure lines of Evolution were chosen. Leafeon Eevee were always Leafeon, Vaporeon Eevee were always Vaporeon and so on." She paused, glancing over to her sisters, "But it turned out that less and less pure Eevee were being born and numbers in each territory were falling. It turned out that more Eevee were born if their parents were of different Eeveelution. As our territories came together and our Tribe Leaders traded more between the other tribes, more and more Eevee were pushing to be different Eeveelutions than the tribe they were born to. It got to the stage where they were starting to uprise against the tribe leaders."

Arric could not believe it. The population of Eeveelutions were failing and there was going to a war between the tribes over it. He couldn't understand why it mattered so much. They lived so peacefully now for the most part trading with one another. The Evolution Ritual should have worked.

"When my parents decided that my sisters and I could choose who we wanted to be, there was a huge uproar in who should get what." Nia continued, "Everyone wanted choice but everyone also wanted an opinion on who someone should choose."

"So the Evolution Ritual was made." Arric said.

Avice nodded, "Exactly. A chance for each territory to try and convince the Eevee who were to evolve but ultimately the choice was up to them but there was always a chance they could be persuaded."

"Not everyone was up for that idea obviously." Vesper grunted.

"So we took a vote. It was two to six in favour of the Evolution Ritual. We chose not to tell the future Eevee in hope to forge a solid tradition and to forget the past." Estella finished.

The room fell silent as the Eevee took in the information laid before them. It was a lot to take in. Finally, Vesper stood, placing his arms across his chest and breaking the silence.

"I think we have explained everything we are entitled too. I hope you six will make the right decision but for the next few days I suggest you reflect over the past few weeks and come to a final decision when it's time. I'll be taking my leave; I have to attend to my people before the Evolution Ritual."

The Flareon moved around the table and paused to glance at Arric before slipping through the archway into the halls. Karn, Nia and Avice soon followed, bidding farewell to the Eevee before taking their leave. Lycia stood, motioning for the attention of the group. "I will take them to their quarters. It's been a long few days."

The Umbreon began to usher the group out of the hall. Arric slid his chair back to join them but a soft voice sang in his head.

"Stay Arric."

Arric sat glued to his seat and watched as the others slipped from the hall, not even noticing that he was not with them. Soon only he and Estella remained in the hall. The Espeon tilted her head and eyed him carefully. Her blue eyes glinting in the soft light. She stood and took a seat next to him and he had to crane his head up to fully look at her in the eyes.

"I've been told you have been having strange dreams."

Arric gulped and nodded, his words suddenly lost in the presence of the Espeon before him. He could _feel_ power emanate off her and he was not sure if it was fear or excitement he felt tingle through his veins. She took his hands in one of her own and leant forward towards him, her breath a whisper as she locked his eyes with her, lost in the colours of her eyes as they swirled before him.

"Close your eyes."

Arric forced his eyes shut, he could feel a warm field spread from his hand over his arm and through his body, washing over him. His body began to feel heavy, his mind starting to float as he struggled to stay awake.

"Sleep."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

When Arric opened his eyes, he found himself standing in his dream. As he slowly turned, he took in each entity. The volcano's magma bubbled inside the large mountain, the base shrouded in thick mist and Arric had no idea how he was going to climb it even if he could reach it. The waterfall bubbled pleasantly towards him, it looked so small from this distance Arric figured if he ever got close to it, that the roaring of the falls would be deafening. The tree reached out its long, gnarled branches towards him, beckoning him to climb it. Its lush leaves seemed to shake with anticipation and the ones that floated on the air quickly turned brown before even reaching the ground. Beside the tree floated the sphere of ice. The lights inside pushed against the edges, calling to be touched, begging to be freed. As he took a step closer, the crackling of the dark sphere next to the ice caught his attention. Electricity danced over the black surface, filling the air with a static that felt suffocating. The memories of its last encounter welled up in Arric's mind and he felt himself shrink away from it, taking a few steps back. A soft song began to fill his head, filling his body with a calm, soothing warmth and Arric turned to the source. He found a thick pale pink mist, it seemed to push the fog that filled the area away from it, creating a pocket of air between itself and the rest of the white mist. The song grew louder as Arric stepped tentatively towards it. He felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness well inside him. Tears sprung to his eyes and fell down his cheeks as the song probed into his mind, willing him to it. Arric pulled himself from the pink mist, forcing himself to turn to the next entity. Its form was just a dark void, a hole that cut through the mist like a dark doorway to somewhere else. The edges shimmered with silver, swirling into small tendrils of shadow that dissolved into the air. Arric felt himself being pulled towards it, his feet began moving on their own and it took every ounce of will to tear himself away, almost falling to the ground with the force of turning away. The last entity glowed brightly before him. It looked like a small ball of light, its light pulsing in the darkness, pushing back the mist. Arric felt his confidence surge, his mind felt clear, as if everything made sense but at the same time it was failing him and everything inside him wanted to keep that clarity.

All eight entities beckoned to him, seeming to reach out to him, calling to him and Arric felt drawn to them all. He stood in the centre of them all. What did they mean? Why were they in his dream and why did each entity want him? It did not made sense. A soft touch to his shoulder made him yelp in surprise, turning to find Estella standing next to him. She looked different and Arric could not put his finger on it until he realised he could see the entities through her. Her form was transparent, like a ghost but her hand on his shoulder felt as real as if she were right there.

"Madame Estella! Where did you come from? How did you get here?"

The Espeon turned to face him, her eyes glowed a bright violet encircled with a bright white. She smiled softly, "I'm not really here at all Arric. You're asleep."

So this was her dream eating power Arric had heard of. It was unique to the Espeon and only a few were able to use it to fully put themselves into others dreams. Others could only get snippets of the dreams if they were lucky, most just a feeling of what had happened. Estella looked over the entities around them, a calm and stoic look on her face. She paused at each one, examining them, taking a few steps forward, stopping and then taking the same steps back. Her expression never changed and Arric felt himself getting nervous. What if she were not affected by them like he was? Would she even know what this all meant? Finally, Estella turned to him, a sad look in her eyes making Arric's heart sink.

"I knew you were conflicted Arric but I did not expect it to be so badly. And so close to the Evolution Ritual as well." Her soft voice echoed in the darkness around them.

"What do you mean?" Arric pleaded, "What does this all mean? Why is everything in this nightmare trying to kill me?"

"Kill you?" The Espeon shook her head, "None of this is going to harm you. It's a representation. Everything here is to show you the power we have. The more you get closer, the more your desire for it. These are meant to help you choose."

Arric crossed his arms and mumbled, "They have a funny way of showing it. How is suffocating me with this mist or encasing me in ice until I smash into a million pieces meant to convince me to choose them?"

Estella regarded him carefully, "Arric what are you talking about?"

Arric threw his arms wide in frustration, "None of these entities have given me any reason to choose them! This makes no sense! I just want to know what's going on, I want this night mare to stop!"

"Then you have to choose." Estella's voice was firm, louder than before.

"Choose what?! What does all this mean?"

Estella stared at him, her tail flickered slightly, the ball of light behind her glowed brightly and suddenly it dawned on Arric. They were all connected. Each of the entities represented them all. How could he have not realised it sooner? It was right in front of him but he was too stupid to make the connection. Arric felt sick, his stomach lurched and he felt dizzy as the pieces of the puzzle came together.

"It's rare that you would be having this dream without an influence. No one has had this type of dream for a long time. Why you?"

Estella walked up to Arric, grabbing his chin, forcing his gaze to hers, a look in her eyes that Arric could not place. She seemed to search his eyes, no, his mind. He could feel her move through his head, sifting through his thoughts.

"What makes you so special." Estella murmured, her voice so low that Arric could barely hear her.

Arric closed his hands around her arm, struggling to pull free but to no avail. The Espeon continued to probe his mind, a hot feeling spreading through his head.

"What about the creature then? What does it represent?" Arric managed to groan.

Estella's gaze flickered, "What creature?"

A deep growl answered her. Estella dropped Arric to the ground, taking a few steps back as the creature paced the edges of the mist. She glanced down at Arric felt his blood run cold. The Espeon Tribe Leader looked afraid and confused.

 _She doesn't know what it is._

The creature eyes the two of them warily, it's growl rumbling through its throat, growing to a roar that rang out around them. Arric covered his ears, his body shaking as he scrambled to his feet. Estella stood frozen, Arric grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he raced away from the creature but she did not move.

"Madame Estella! We need to go!" He hissed at her.

Estella shook her head, her voice tight, "There was never a creature."

Arric stared at her, eyes wide. She did not know what this was and it scared her. That terrified Arric more than anything. The creature turned its snout to the sky and howled, a loud high pitched sound that pierced into their minds. Arric screamed and covered his ears, watching as Estella reached for him only to have her form crack and shatter, pieces of her falling to the ground like shards of broken glass.

"Estella!" Arric scrambled at the shards, watching as they melted one by one into the stone beneath him. Behind him he could feel the creature watch him and as he turned to face it, he saw the blur of the creature leap towards him, jaws wide open.

Arric lurched to the side of the bed and vomited. His whole body shivered and felt hot. He fell back onto the bed and blinked, the ceiling above him swirled and twisted and refused to stop. If he moved his head, his stomach lurched again and he found himself vomiting a few more times until he succumbed back to the darkness.

The next time he woke, his throat felt dry and his head pounded. The world still spun but his stomach no longer flipped with each movement. He smacked his lips together to try and clear the dryness but it was no use. He needed water. Groaning with effort he tried to sit up, only to feel a hand at his chest, pushing him back. He had no strength to fight and fell back with a thump. He blinked, trying to focus his eyes on the figure before him. The scent of flowers filled his nose and he gagged, feeling a familiar grogginess wash over him. He struggled but his body refused to move and slowly he felt himself slip back into darkness.

"Arric." A soft voice whispered to him. "Wake up."

Arric slowly opened his eyes. Everything felt out of focus. A shadow fell over Arric and he turned his head, squinting his eyes to make out the figure in front of him. Slowly the world came into focus, the shadow morphed into a female Leafeon, her dreadlocked hair falling around her face as she leant over him. A sombre and sad look in her eyes as she dabbed Arric's forehead with a damp cloth.

"Oh Arric my dear, I'm so sorry."

She sat back as Arric pulled himself to sit up, taking in his surroundings. He was back in the infirmary. The splint had been removed from his leg and beside a small bit of stiff soreness it was almost healed. He clutched his head as blood pounded in his head. The room seemed empty, even the two Espeon infirmary staff were gone. How did he end up back here? Where was Estella? Arric turned to the Leafeon and found tribe leader Nia sitting there, fiddling with the damp cloth in her lap. Beside her was a table with a bowl full of water and small bottles with coloured liquid. Arric did not recognise any of them and was not sure if he even wanted to.

"What happened?"

Nia squirmed in her seat, avoiding Arric's gaze, she busied herself in dipping the cloth into the bowl on the table and rinsing it out. She reached out to dab Arric's forehead again and Arric welcomed it. The cool water helped with the pounding in his head, the grogginess almost fully gone. She rinsed the cloth again and reached to dab his forehead again but Arric grabbed her hand, glaring at her. Nia looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.

"It was for your own good, I promise." She whispered.

"Sure, if you call putting him in one of your poisonous comas good for anyone." A deep growl called out.

Arric turned towards the voice to find Vesper leaning against the far wall, a dark look across his face as he glared at Nia. He pushed off the wall and strode towards the bed, taking a chair next to Arric's bed. The Flareon washed his eyes over Arric, a cold expression clouded his face as he took in the frail demeanour of the Eevee before him.

"You gave him a pretty potent dose." The low growl had not left his voice.

Nia's eyes flashed in anger, "I did no such thing! Enough to keep him asleep for the next few days. I can't help if there are side effects!"

"Side effects!" Vesper roared. "You nearly killed him!"

Arric flinched, his body shivered involuntarily. Nia glared at Vesper and returned to tending to Arric's fever. "I only did as Estella told me too. She knew he could handle it."

Vesper fumed beside them but his mood softened as he watched Arric. He cleared his throat and looked away, "Lea will be happy to hear you're finally awake."

Arric smiled softly at Vesper. Even though the Flareon leader had been hard on him all those years, to see him sitting there now meant the world to him. But his questions were still left unanswered.

"What happened?" He repeated.

Nia sighed, tossing the cloth into the bowl, fiddling with one of her dreadlocks as she tried to avoid both Arric's and Vesper's questioning looks.

"I don't know what happened with you and Estella but just before I left to go to my village she called me to stay here and asked me to keep you asleep. She wouldn't explain why but she told me to give you enough to sleep for a few days. Of course I knew it would make you sick so I had you moved to the infirmary so I could keep an eye on you." She cast her head down, "She said it was to keep you safe."

Arric tried to recall his dreams and shuddered at the sight of Estella shattering and what the entities all meant. His dream was wrong. If he was meant to choose then why were they harming him? The creature was not part of it and why did it make Estella so afraid? Why was he having these dreams and not his friends? Then the Espeon leader called him to be poisoned. His hands balled into a fist, anger bubbled inside him. What gave her the right to order that? What was she so afraid of?

"So what now?" Arric asked icily, "Am I a supposed to sleep here until you figure out what to do with me?"

Nia opened her mouth to speak but said nothing, looking away. Arric nodded, tears of frustration and betrayal threatened to fall. Where were his friends? Did they know about all this and did nothing to stop this? They left him here. Arric flopped back on the bed defeated. He just wanted Nia to put him back to sleep. He did not want to wake up anymore. It hurt too much being awake. He could trust no one and still nothing made sense.

"Arric, I do believe that Estella did this to help you." Nia said softly.

Vesper grunted, "Then why has she already taken the other five already and left him here?"

Nia stood, hands on her hips. She waggled a finger at Vesper, "Vesper why _are_ you here?"

Vesper stood and crossed his arms across his chest, a large smirk spread across his face, "I'm here to escort him to the Evolution Ritual."

Arric sprung up, eyes wide. Arric beamed down at him.

"It's time."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

The forests were quiet and calm. Dark grey leaves softly swayed in the gentle breeze, tickling Arric's ears as he ducked beneath them. Beneath him, the grass muffled his footsteps, flattened by those who had trekked earlier that day, making it easy for the two Pokémon to make their way towards the Evolution Ritual. Arric followed silently behind Vesper. The Flareon loomed in front of him, his massive bulk of a body somehow easily squeezed between a tree or two that stood too close together on their path, the tiny branches catching at his dark crimson fur, leaving only a few tiny strands behind.

The quiet walk reminded Arric of his younger years, when he would scramble behind the Tribal Leader, puffing and panting, scurrying over large logs and rocks, flitting through the bushes and brambles in a bid to keep up, while Vesper would call back in mockery of how he was "too slow." When really, the big Flareon had hidden himself behind a tree, ready to pounce on Arric as he zipped past, rolling in the grass head over heels, laughing as they wrestled. He was so small then, so young, when the world seemed more simple and responsibilities were something he did not have to worry about. As Arric got older, those walks turned into runs of training, the wrestling turned to mock fighting and the laughter turned to tears of frustration and anger. Arric missed those days. He watched Vesper, stride before him and wondered why did it all have to change? What made him growing older have to grow distant as well? What had Arric done that made Vesper hate him so much now?

Arric broke a bare stick off a branch and idly fiddled with it. Rubbing his fingers over the wood, sliding over the knobs and bumps of the stick before twirling it in his hands a few times, dragging it along the ground. He tapped it against the trunks of the passing trees, lost in thought, looking towards the sky and watching the sun slowly make its way across the sky. It was going to be dark soon as the bright blues had started to turn orange and red, pink clouds streaking across the sky. Arric sighed. It was a lot more different travelling with Vesper than it was with his friends. Where were they now? They were probably all at the Evolution Ritual, preparing the clearing for all the visiting tribes. Arric felt his stomach fall. He still had no idea who to choose. No tribe had really stuck out to him. His eyes flicked up to Vespers back. Perhaps he should just pick Flareon and be done with it. Everyone expected that of him, it was what he has been trained for his whole life. Vesper and Lea were his family after all. But the more Arric tried to convince himself of it, the more it left a sour taste in his mouth and a heaviness in his chest. It was not what he really wanted but how could he say that, if he did not even know what he really wanted to begin with. He blew out in frustration, catching the attention of Vesper, who glanced over his shoulder. The Flareon took in the defeated look on the hobbling Eevees face and stopped, turning towards him.

"You know," Vesper spoke, "If you choose another tribe, Lea and I will understand."

Arric cried out in frustration and swiped his stick at a nearby bush, watching as the caught leaves leapt into the air and floated down slowly to the ground.

"I don't know which tribe to pick!" Arric growled, "Everyone wants me to pick but you're all liars and secret hoarders. How do I know this isn't some trap to just trick us into whatever you guys have planned?"

Vesper brow furrowed as he grabbed Arric, slamming his back into a tree, his face inches from his with a snarl on his lips, "Listen here Arric. This isn't some game; some idea you have cooked up in your mind. This is your future, the future of the Eeveelutions. Our tribes depend on the choices you Eevee now make."

Arric shoved him away, balling his fists in anger, "Then why don't you just leave it as the old way? It's clear that you all want it that way anyway! It's clear it won't work with this ritual, the pilgrimage failed!"

"It's not as simple as that!" Vesper roared, "It's been years without litters of Eevee, when there used to be so many. Tribes are dwindling as others become crowded. The only reason we have not all died out, is from the tribes working together. It's the best option we have right now without making it a lottery system and it gives you choice, that's more than what I had when I was your age."

Vesper threw his hands up in frustration, his face growing dark in anger, "You should have kept your mouth shut Arric. This would have panned out just fine but you've always been full of ideas, ever since Lea found you. You just can't help yourself!"

Arric laughed bitterly, crossing his arms across his chest, "If I kept my mouth shut, all us Eevee would be Jolteon by now and we would never have a chance to choose anyway."

The air around them burned with an invisible fire between them. The two glared at each other, sizing each other up until finally Vespers shoulders dropped with a sigh. He seemed to deflate within himself, "You could never understand Arric. Before Lea found you, we had been trying to have a litter for years. We had given up hope." He looked up at Arric with a look in his eyes that made Arric look away, "And now it's time to choose and I can only hope you pick the right one."

Arric blinked back his shock, his mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. He did not know what to say. Before him the Flareon drew his shoulders back, the look in eyes gone in a matter of seconds. He turned away from Arric and continued forward, with Arric following a small distance behind.

The rest of the way was left in a heavy silence, the pair had been joined by a few others as they drew closer and by the time they had made it to the clearing, the sun had well and truly set and the full moon was making its way into the sky. Vesper and Arric pushed themselves through the growing crowd of Pokémon up onto the same large ledge that held all eight tribe leaders.

"This is where I leave you." Vesper sounded small and Arric reached a hand to his shoulder. "I know you will make the right choice my son."

Arric could only feel his whole body shrivel into nerves as he watched the Flareon climb to the top of the ledge. He glanced around at all the faces in the clearing. Nearly all of the tribes had gathered. He could see no sign of any Jolteon and a few guards weaved their way through the crowd. Arric scanned the clearing for his friends, finding them easily near the center where a large stone slab had been placed. A small wooden chest was nestled behind the pedestal. Arric made his way to his friends, his leg started to ache slightly from the walk but it was far better than what it had been in days.

"Hey guys, starting without me I see."

"Arric!" Grace flung her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug before pulling back with a blush.

Tak clapped him on the shoulder, "It's good to see you here. I was getting worried that they wouldn't let you come at all."

"I almost didn't." Arric shook his head, "Master Vesper brought me. I had been kept asleep by Madam Nia under Madam Estella's request after I spoke to her about my dreams."

Tak growled, "They would do that wouldn't they. I had tried to come see you but they told me you were too unwell."

"I tried to visit also but Madam Nia would chase me away." Quin added.

"We all tried." Hannah nodded, smiling at Arric, "It's so good to see you."

Arric smiled warmly at his friends. It had been a horrible couple of weeks but he knew he could not have done it without them. Arric wondered would their friendship change once they had all Evolved or was this not really a friendship at all?

"Guys what is going to happen after all this?" Arric waved a hand around him. "Do we just go our separate ways?"

The six of them fell quiet. The clearing buzzed with excitement around them but it did not lift any of their moods. Finally, Quin spoke up, "I don't want to lose you guys, you're the only friends I have."

Tak chuckled, pulling Quin to him with one hand around his shoulder, ruffling his hair, "I don't think we could stay away from each other, even if we tried."

The girls nodded in agreement. The Eevee looked around them, suddenly feeling the nervousness that Arric had felt before. Quin started to shake and Grace twirled with a piece of her hair nervously. "So have you guys made your choice?"

They looked at each other with uncertainty when the chatter of the clearing began to die down as the Tribe Leaders stood from their seats to address the clearing. Estella stepped to the front, raising her hands up to gather everyone's attention.

"Tonight the Evolution Ritual has finally come!"

Cheers rose from the clearing in unison and the Espeon let them celebrate for a few seconds before raising her hands for silence once more.

"Before us stand six Eevee who will now choose to join the ranks of the one of the tribes among us. Their choice is their own and we will respect their choice no matter what we think otherwise."

Estella stepped forward to the edge of the rock. Her eyed glowed a brilliant blue as she took one step and then another, the light from her eyes spread to surround her as she slowly floated to the ground to the pedestal. Behind her the other Tribe Leaders made their way down, fanning into a line behind her.

"What about the Jolteon Tribe?" A Sylveon called out from the crowd. Murmurs of agreement rippled across them.

"I have informed Master Volke that due to his actions, his tribe is not allowed to join the festivities but if any of the Eevee so choose to join them, they are still welcome. Master Vesper will stand in his place being his eldest brother. After such a meeting between the Tribe Leaders will take place and the Jolteon will answer for their attack on the Eevee."

The chattering of the crowd grew as other voiced their disagreement or support. Hannah and Bree hanged their head, trying to avoid the glares the crowd gave them. Grace placed her arms around Hannah, "No matter, we support you two okay?"

The twins nodded softly and Estella rose her hands, her voice cutting across everyone's minds with a fire, "Silence!"

The clearing fell silent and Estella motioned for Grace to step forward, "Would you step forth Grace."

Grace squeaked with excitement and stepped forward to the pedestal, the moon bathing her in its light as it shone down into the center of the clearing, barely reaching the rim where the trees canopy shrouded the Pokémon who watched.

"Grace, who have you pledged?" Estella asked the Eevee before her.

Grace straightened up and spoke, her voice ringing out, "I have pledged Tribe Vaporeon."

The Vaporeon in the clearing burst into cheers, the blues and greens of their fur dancing amongst themselves. Estella nodded with a smile and moved back, motioning for Karn to step forth. The Vaporeon, knelt down, flipping open the box at the foot of the pedestal and pulled out a dark blue stone, inside the stone liquid seemed to flow changing into all shades of blue as it shifted through the cracks inside the stone. Karn stepped towards Grace, a large grin on his face as he held out the stone to her. He placed it gently in her hands.

"Now Grace, hold the stone close to you, close your eyes and let the power of the Vaporeon Tribe surge inside you!"

Grace hugged, with trembling hands, the stone to her chest, squeezed her eyed shut and waited. She felt something inside her build, growing slowly from her chest, until it spread over her body. Her limbs tingled, she felt as if her body had melted into water itself and was changing her. She could not open her eyes in fear of what she would see and a bright light swallowed her. Slowly the tingling faded away and she felt a power inside her that she had known was there all along as if it had been with her sleeping this whole time. She opened her eyes and looked down at her hands. The stone had dimmed and she handed it back to Karn, sweeping a look over her body. Her brown was gone. Her skin was a rubbery, soft dark blue, her hair as white as the clouds. She felt across her neck at the frill that now surrounded her head.

Karn placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards the silent crowd, "We welcome Vaporeon Grace to the Vaporeon Tribe!"

Everyone cheered, Karn nudged Grace towards the opening arms of the Vaporeon who hugged her and welcomed her. Karn returned to his place and Estella stepped forward, grinning as she watched Grace jumping with joy only to spin in amazement at the dolphin tail she now sported. The Espeon drew her attention to the five Eevee.

"Quin, I ask you to approach."

To everyone's surprise, Quin strode confidently to the pedestal, holding his head high, he nodded to Estella. She raised a brow at him, "Quin, who do you pledge?"

Quin puffed his chest, "I have pledged Tribe Leafeon!"

Nia stepped forth and pulled a dark green stone from the box. It glowed brightly, green liquid swirling inside just as the water stone had before. Nia stepped towards Quin, biting her lip to contain her excitement as she placed the stone in Quins hands.

"Quin, my child, just hold this close and feel the power of Leafeon rise within you."

Quin nodded, closing his eyes and holding the stone to his chest tightly. He felt a tickle inside him, like tiny bugs crawling on him. It spread all over his body and it took everything he could muster not to squirm with laughter. He felt his body change, his body trembled so much, he felt his legs would give beneath him but soon the trembling subsided as did the crawling bugs. As he opened his eyes, he raised a hand to feel along the leaf that now sprout from his forehead. His fur had shortened and changed to a bright grass green, his fluffy tail now a long, broad leaf. He was still small but taller than when he was an Eevee. Giddily, he handed the stone back to Nia and she smiled as she spun him around toward the crowd, calling out.

"Quin of Tribe Leafeon!"

The roar from the crowd was deafening and Quin raced to the other Leafeon, who leapt around him, dancing with him as they welcomed him. Arric laughed and cheered along with his friends until Estella called for them to be silent once more.

"Arric. Please step forth."

The air in the clearing suddenly changed as Arric stepped towards the pedestal. Whispers started in the crowd as they watched Arric. Arric's legs quivered beneath him, he felt sick, his breathing heavy and he could not seem to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. Estella watched him carefully, a curious look in her eyes as she took in the Pokémon's reactions around her.

 _I am sorry for what I have done to you Arric but I am not sorry for what I have done for our tribes._

Her voice rang through his head and he felt the tendrils of his last nightmare, crawl into the back of his mind. His heart raced as he looked at the Tribe Leaders before him. His mind raced with the entities. They each called to him but behind them, lurking in the mist was the creature, waiting for him, taunting him. He did not know what to do.

"Arric. Who do you pledge?"

No sound came from the clearing. Arric stared at the ground, trying to ignore the stares of the tribes around him. His body felt slick with sweat and he suddenly wished he was back at the bottom of the ravine again. At least there he was alone. He faced Estella, forcing himself to look into her eyes and he was sure he saw a flicker of longing in her eyes but it was gone before he was sure.

"Madame Estella I-"

A howl rang out from the darkness. The Pokémon looked around them in the clearing confused. Another howl and another rang out until a chorus of haunting howls echoed through the clearing. Estella turned towards the other Tribe Leaders,

"It's Volke! We need to stop them!"

A blast of electricity hit the center of the clearing, sending the crowd into a panic. Pokémon fled into all directions as lightning crackled across the ground. Blurs of yellow jumped into the crowd, howling. The Jolteon's fur crackled with electric sparks, sending dancing bolts into the crowd, scattering the Pokémon into the night. The Tribe Leaders roared to their guards to get the tribe members to safety, Estella's eyes glowed as she shot a wave of energy towards the Jolteon who sped through the clearing at lightning speed. Arric stood frozen to the spot, circling around himself as he watched the panic unfold. His friends raced to him as Estella joined them, her voice shooting through the other Pokémon's minds, telling them to get themselves to safety wherever they could. She turned to Arric and the others.

"Master Volke will be coming for you Eevee. We must-"

Estella screamed in pain as a thick bolt of lightning struck her. She crumpled to the ground, shaking as sparks danced off her charred body. Laughter rang out from the darkness and a large Jolteon slipped from the trees. In his hand he held a brightly glowing stone, crackling with energy. Estella coughed, turning towards Arric, "Take your friends, get out of here!"

"Not so fast Estella." Volke growled.

Jolteon crawled from the shadows, forming a circle around the group with Volke walking towards them. Arric clenched his fists, ready to pounce when Estella held out a hand to him.

"No Arric. He will surely kill you if you try."

Volke laughed, his face twisting into a sneer, "Yes Arric. Do what our dear leader says, since she seems to dictate everything around here."

He barked and another shot of lightning stuck down at Estella and she managed to deflect most of the blow in time with a ball of psychic power. Volke growled and reached down to grab Estella, pulling her up by the scruff of her neck. She scrambled to her feet wearily.

"I should have taken over long before. None of this crap of choice. Nothing is stronger than Jolteon and I will show you. You are nothing to me Estella. _Nothing_."

"Volke please, stop this." Estella pleaded. She screamed as Volke sent a bolt of electricity along his arm and into her body.

"Father stop!" Hannah pushed herself past Arric to stand before the Jolteon, "I pledge Jolteon, just let her go! We will pledge Jolteon."

Volke glanced at the other Eevee. Bree hung her head and nodded, Tak crossed his arms, glancing at Estella and Volke before grudgingly nodding. Hannah turned to Arric, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please Arric."

Arric nodded shortly and Volke laughed in triumph, throwing Estella to the ground. He pointed at Arric with a sly grin, "You first. I will enjoy this."

Stepping forward Arric reached for the thunder stone, weighing it carefully in his hand. He looked down at Estella who coughed into the dirt, glaring up at Volke. Arric turned the stone in his hands and pulled it close to his chest. He suddenly caught something in the corner of his eye, spun on his heels and raced towards the edge of the clearing.

"No!" Volke roared.

The Jolteon who surrounded them held fast before Arric, still clutching the stone to himself but far enough so that the buzzing feeling in his chest did not grow stronger. He gritted his teeth and crouch low, sliding along the ground. A ball of purple stuck the two Jolteon before him, lifting them enough so he could slip under and make his way into the trees.

 _Run Arric!_

Estella's voice filled his head in a rage, then suddenly her presence was gone as Volke swiftly struck her with another bolt, causing her to lose consciousness. He could hear his friends call after him but he dared not slow down. He could feel the electric energy of the Jolteon Tribe Leader as he barraged on after him like a raging bull. Volke was quicker but Arric knew the forest better. The two raced through the trees, Arric leading the chase. He knew he had to lose the Jolteon, just long enough for the other Tribe Leaders to stop him. He had to keep his friends safe, he would not be forced to be Jolteon. He pushed his legs harder, his heart pounded in his chest, his breathing ragged. He zigged through the bushes and zagged over the fallen logs. For once Arric was glad he was smaller as he could slip through the forest easier than the raging Jolteon behind him.

Arric suddenly remembered a small cave system was nearby. It was not known by many as it was covered in years of foliage and Arric had only recently uncovered it a few months before when Vesper had sent him out to look for fruits. Veering to the left, Arric made a beeline for the cave, with Volke hot on tail. He could feel Volke's electric static as he gained on him. Arric would not last much longer if he kept going but all he needed to do was reach the caves. Pushing his legs harder, he swung around a patch of trees, slipping through the foliage and down into the wet caves below.

Darkness swallowed him and Arric made his way deeper, using the stone as his light source. His feet splashed into small puddles, the walls wet and slick around him. He could hear Volke crashing blindly behind him, slowing down as he came after him. Arric slipped into a small crevice, burying the stone into his fur to try and block out its light. He hoped Volke could not hear his heart as it pounded in his ears or his breath which left him ragged. It was suddenly too quiet, Arric strained his ears to try and hear where Volke was. The dripping of water off the walls into the puddles below would have been soothing to Arric if he was not hiding for his life right now.

All of a sudden the cave lit up in bright light and in the center of it, with electricity sizzling off him in jagged waves, was Volke. Arric shrieked in horror as Volke clawed at him, pulling him from his hiding space and flinging him across the cave.

"I have had enough of you Arric. Enough games. Give me the stone."

Arric clutched the stone tightly in his hands, backing away from Volke but only finding a wall at his back. Frantically Arric tried to slip past but was grabbed from the back of the neck, flung against another wall. The stone slipped from his grasp and spiraled across the wet floor deeper into the cave. Arric scrambled after it, with Volke close behind. Wrestling for the stone, they kicked and fought, pulling the stone from the others grasps. The stone had grown slippery from the water and slid like a bar of soap from their hands to the floor a few feet from them. Arric and Volke leapt for the stone but Arric reached it first, sliding with the stone into the darkness. He felt the ground tilt and suddenly his speed gained as he slid further down a tunnel of the cave. Arric braced himself for the bottom, rolling across the floor until his head connected with the stone wall.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Arric awoke with a start, searching in the darkness in a panic for the stone but there was no dim light in the darkness. Arric looked around him and realized he was in his dream. The entities had grown in size and towered over him. He hugged his knees to his chest, rocking slightly to calm the panic that was bubbling inside his chest.

"Master Volke will have the stone by now and if I don't hurry up and wake up he'll force me to evolve for sure!"

Arric forced himself to keep calm, taking deep, slow breaths until he felt the tightness in his chest disappear. He closed his eyes tightly and willed himself to wake up. He peeked one eye open, seeing the lonely shape of the ice sphere above him. He let out a frustrated cry and got to his feet, dusting himself off. He stared at the entities around him and knew deep down that none felt right. No one entity pulled more than the other.

"Maybe I'm not meant to Evolve at all." Arric murmured to himself.

A rumble behind him made his hair stand on end. Slowly he turned around and sure enough, at the edge of the mist stood the creature. Its eyes glowed brightly in the mist, a shadow of itself, it paced the edge of the mist. Arric suddenly felt the urge to laugh. It started as a small chuckle, rising to a bubble of laughter until he was bent over hollering with tears streaming down his face.

"This is too much; I must be going crazy. This can't be it."

The creature let out a howl, it vibrated in Arric's chest, making his knees feel weak in fear. Arric swallowed to try and make his mouth feel less dry and failed.

"Who are you?" He managed to croak.

"Arric." The creatures voice boomed in his ears.

Arric felt his anger rise inside him. He clenched his fists at his side. This was a dream. _His dream._ He would always wake up from this dream no matter how scared he was, how many times these entities tried to hurt him. Out there in the real world was where it mattered, where he was most afraid. He had enough of this creature's torture, this endless running away. It was time he faced his fear.

"I said WHO ARE YOU!"

His scream echoed through the mist and it felt even more silent than it could be possible. The creature glared at him from beyond the mist. It raised its head, coiling its long neck back in a stance to attack. The creature crouched low and with a thunderous roar, leaped out of the mist at Arric. Arric braced himself for impact, to feel the jaws of the creature rip into his flesh and devour him. He closed his eyes, unable to look at the fangs that hurled towards him. It was time for Arric to face the entities. To show he was no longer afraid. He had to decide and being afraid was not getting him anywhere. He would wake up, find the stone and stop Volke once and for all. He would save his friends, they would get to make the choices they wanted to make and no Tribe Leader was going to push them into any of their secrets anymore.

Arric waited. Nothing came. He waited again. Still nothing. Carefully Arric opened his eyes and was met with two amber eyes staring at him confused. He blinked and the eyes blinked with him. He stepped back, a small gasp escaping from him mouth as he realized he was staring at his own reflection. It was different though. It was fragmented in metallic rows that moved steadily up and down in a calm rhythm. Arric drew his eyes up, following the long reflective body, up along the neck until he stopped on a pair of blue eyes that swirled with different colours. The creature breathed at him, a deep rumbling in its chest that Arric could feel the vibrations sounded. The creatures tail flicked, thick and whip like. Four clawed feet attached to thick, strong legs carried the weight of the enormous creature.

"Wh- who are you?" Arric tried to speak but barely managed a whisper.

"Arric." The creature voice rumbled so loudly that Arric could barely hear him.

Arric stared at his reflection in the creature's scales. Before him stood a scared, tiny, limp Eevee. His fur and hair were a complete mess and his eyes looked tired and dull. The more he stared at his reflection, the more it seemed to change. His ears grew longer, sharper, his tail began to thin and stretch, looking almost whip long like the creature itself. His ruffled fur looked stiff, melded into shiny plated armour, broad at the chest and scaled at the hips, elbows and ankles.

"This is impossible." Arric reached out to his reflection, brushing his hands against the scales.

One of the scales felt loose. Arric gripped onto the scale and wiggled it, loosening it a little, giving him a bit more to hold onto. He tightened his grip and pulled with all his might, using one foot to leverage himself against the creature, who merely watched with curiosity at what the little Eevee was doing. Arric pulled harder, his arms strained with each pull until suddenly the scale gave way and he fell to the ground hard, scale in hand.

He woke to the surrounding darkness of the cave. Arric groaned, rubbing his pounding head where he had hit the wall. He realized he was awake and searched for the stone but found it gone. There was no sign of Volke either. Arric groaned and leant against the wall. He had failed. He had not saved anybody and now Volke has the stone and is probably headed back to his friends right now. Arric wondered if he stayed there, perhaps he would just fade away back into his dream and this time not wake up. He cried out to the darkness, listening to fading sound of his voice. Kicking at the stones beneath him, he started to make his way out of the cave but stopped when his foot kicked something that sounded a lot different than stone.

Arric dropped to his knees and felt in the darkness. His hands brushed over something smooth and cool, slightly jagged on the bottom edge. He sucked in a breath as he held the scale close to him. He felt strange. His dream felt so close to him now, like a vivid image in his mind he could reach out to and stranger still, he could feel a heavy feeling growing in his chest. His heart beat faster and he closed his eyes as blinding light began to envelop him. A metallic rumble filled his ears as he felt his body grow heavy and hot. His could feel his body stretch and grow, the heaviness overwhelming him as he sunk to the cave floor. Then the light faded back to darkness and he could feel himself move again. Everything felt different. He could hear the droplets of water so much clearer, he could feel the energy of the earth beneath him. Arric felt along his ears. They had grown long and wide with jagged edges at the tips. Steel scales feathered the edges of his face, covering his head like a helmet. The scales continued to large plates that protected his back and hips, down the side of his thighs. His hands were scaled up to his elbowed like gloves. His hair still felt soft and short and it reminded him of Orion's Mohawk. He felt along his chest, it seemed to be smooth, scaled like an armour plating that spread to a broad kite shape shield on his chest, leaving his under belly, legs and arms with soft short grey fur. He flicked his tail and felt it whip around him fast, the end thin and pointed. He felt taller, he felt faster and stronger and he no longer felt afraid.

Arric leapt forward and raced towards the entrance to cave. His legs felt longer and lithe, making the trip up the narrow tunnel easy. He stumbled in the darkness as he got closer to the entrance of the cave, the light beginning to shine as the dawn rose. How much time had passed while he was down there? Arric gritted his teeth and sprang out of the cave into the forest. He made his way back to the clearing, a silver streak through the undergrowth. He slowed to a stop at the edge of the clearing. There stood Volke, Nia, Estella and Vesper. Beside Estella sitting on the ground a small Jolteon lay unconscious with Nia knelt tending to her. He could see no sign of his friends, hoping he had saved them enough time to get out of there.

The clearing was a total mess. The ground had been ripped up, a few trees had fallen and the ground sparked with electric residue. Volke breathed heavily, his bulked shoulders hunched but still poised to attack, blood soaked his body from cuts. Vesper stood in front of the others, crouched in a stance of attack. His fur was tattered, wounds scattered his body and he breathed heavily. Flames licked around his body, filling the air with a heat that Arric suddenly felt wary of. The thunder stone lay forgotten at Nia's feet.

Volke gave a roar and the air cracked with lightning towards Vesper. The Flareon rolled, narrowly getting missed and shooting a ball of fire at the Jolteon. Volke dodged to the right, getting hit on the shoulder, snarling with rage. The two circled the clearing, each one hurling attack after attack at one another. Volke was starting to get the upper hand, his speed outmatched Vesper, with each movement becoming harder for Vesper to pinpoint before Volke would move and attack again.

 _Vesper can't take much more of this. Where are the other Tribe Leaders?_

Arric watched in horror as Vesper threw a large wall of fire at Volke in an attempt to swamp him but Volke leapt up, narrowly scaling the wall of fire and landing a thunderous punch on Vesper, shocking him to the core, causing him fly into the ledge behind them, rendering him unconscious. Volke huffed a laugh of triumph, straightening his stance as he glared at Estella and Nia. Nia stood, her eyes flashed with determination and anger. Arric saw his chance. He skirted the shadows of the clearing, making his way closer to the Pokémon. Nia created two large vines that soared towards Volke. He scoffed and leapt forward, dodging between the two vines and hitting Nia with an uppercut. Nia flew to the ground, sliding to a stop and leapt forward, shooting a flurry of leaves at him, knocking him back. Arric pounced from the shadows at Volke, using his advantage of surprise to gain enough ground before turning back, whipping his tail around and hitting Volke hard, sending him flailing. Arric did not miss a step and shifted his weight to leap again, landing on Volke to grapple him to the ground. He held the Jolteon down, Volke sending electric charges through Arric. Arric gritted his teeth and focused all his weight on Volke, allowing Nia and Estella to take the sides.

 _Hold your breath._

Estella's voice chimed through his mind and Arric held his breath as Nia shook her body, blue spores raising from her and engulfing them in a thick mist. Volke roared in fury and struggled but as the mist settled around them, his struggled became weaker until he fell unconscious from Nia's sleeping powder. Arric rolled off the Jolteon and brushed himself off. Nia eyed him warily, her fur still standing on end as she carefully stepped back to Vesper who was slowly coming around.

"Thank you." Nia helped Vesper sit up and cradled the smaller Jolteon's head on her lap as she tended to her.

Estella gazed at Arric, nodding her head. "Yes, thank you."

Vesper groaned as shifted his weight to bear a wound on his shoulder. He growled at Arric, eyeing him carefully. Arric was almost as tall as the Flareon now and taller than Estella and Nia. His silver scales shimmered in the morning light.

"So who are you?" Vesper growled.

Estella chuckled and placed a hand on Arric's shoulder, looking into his eyes. They swirled from deep blue to a lavender and she smiled, "He's your son Vesper."

Nia glanced at Arric, then at Vesper. Vesper stared at Arric, who squirmed under the critical eye of the Flareon. No matter how Arric had changed, he was glad that his feelings had not changed, he was still intimidated by the crimson Pokémon.

"But how?" Nia patted the Jolteon in her lap.

"I say! Now this place has certainly seen better days!"

Hiro stepped from the clearing, followed by Karn, Lycia and Avice. The other Pokémon watched carefully from the edges of the clearing, afraid of Volke who slept nearby under Estella's watchful gaze. The Sylveon Tribe Leader clapped Arric on the shoulder with a haughty laugh, rapping his knuckles on the armour. Arric growled and brushed him away, stepping away only to bump into a tall and dark Umbreon who stood beside Lycia.

"Is that really you Arric? What happened to you?" The Umbreon peered closely at him.

Arric's ears twitched. He recognized that voice, "Tak?"

The Umbreon let a sly grin cross his face and cross his arms across his chest, his dark golden circles glowing dimly. He nodded Arric grinned. "The others?"

"Right here!" A light violet Espeon waved over at him as she knelt next to the unconscious Jolteon in Nia's lap. She brushed the soft yellow spiky hair from her face before looking up at Arric again, "I knew you couldn't decide but choosing something entirely new is a bit bold."

"Bree?" Arric laughed and Tak nodded towards the Jolteon, "Master Volke did manage to get one of us. Hannah bought us time to escape when he got back and well, the other Tribe Leaders thought it would be a good idea to get us to Evolve if things turned south for the ones who stayed behind."

"You're welcome." Vesper grunted.

Lea fussed over her mate as Quin helped put some salve on his wounds. His hands moved quickly over each wound and he spoke over his shoulder, "So what is going to happen with Master Volke and the other Jolteon?"

Aria placed a hand on Karn, "Estella, you are surely not going to let him back as the Tribe Leader? Not all the Jolteon attacked, we could just exile the ones who did?"

Estella looked down at the Jolteon Tribe Leader. A look of concern and confliction crossed her face. Avice cleared her throat, grabbing the attention of them all.

"I propose we keep him in isolation for now and deal with him when he is awake and calmed down."

Estella nodded and Avice called for two Glaceon to collect the sleeping Jolteon and take him away.

"For now the other Jolteon may continue to be in their tribe as they were merely following orders. Any further acts of malice to any other will result in them joining their former Tribe Leader." Lycia added.

"Who will lead us now?" A Jolteon called out.

Bree stood and faced the Tribe Leaders, a determined look in her eyes, "Hannah sacrificed her choice to make sure the rest of us had our own. I think she should lead. Master Volke was our father and she was next in line."

Hiro shrugged, "I for one have no objections. What about you Estella dear?"

Estella nodded, "Hannah will take over the Jolteon Tribe. May her choices be far better than her fathers."

Karn pulled Vesper to his feet, chuckling as his brother grimaced with every movement, "Who would think your little brother beat you and your _son_ beat him. Oh how the mighty have fallen."

"Quiet you or you'll be sporting a wound of your own." Vesper snarled.

Karn laughed and helped Vesper out of the clearing, Vesper paused, looking back at Arric, "You're still welcome home, if you have nowhere else that is."

Arric nodded, "I'd like that."

Lea squeezed Arric in a tight hug and ruffled Quin hair as she followed the rest of the Pokémon out of the clearing. Arric watched as each of his friends left with their own tribe until only he and Estella remained in the clearing. A soft breeze gently swept across the ruined clearing and Estella sighed, looking up at the ledge where the Tribe Leaders sat.

"The Evolution Ritual did not go as planned." She said with a halfhearted laugh.

Arric joined her gaze and it dawned on him that now he was well and truly alone. Vesper may have allowed him to live with the Flareon but he was no Eeveelution seen before. He never felt drawn to any of the other entities because deep down, dwelling inside was something entirely new.

"Steeleon." He murmured.

"Oh?" Estella cocked an eyebrow at him.

"That's who I am." Arric grinned at her, flicking his long tail.

Estella smiled to herself, letting the morning breeze wash over her, "Master Arric of the Steeleon Tribe."

Arric raced through the forest under the soft moonlight, the light glinting off his scales as he slipped through the trees. He was shaking with excitement but he was also out of breath.

 _How am I always late?!_

He swung over a small stream from an overhanging branch and skipped over the large rocks covered in the undergrowth of the forest. He was still getting used to his new form but he loved the way he could slink through the trees unnoticed. It was hard in the Flareon canyon where he called home and the heat was a little too hard to bear at times. He could not stand the fires at the forges and he still clashed with Vesper on how to run things so he enjoyed the times he spent out on his many expeditions to find fruit, to visit the other Tribe Leaders and his friends. He stopped briefly, listening out for any rogue Jolteon activity. Anger swelled inside him every time he remembered when he received news that Volke had escaped and joined a band of rogue Jolteon. Hannah had promised him she would never let him back and was on the lookout herself but it still angered him that Estella had been so calm about the whole thing.

 _More secrets._

He carried on more carefully now as the trees were becoming thicker and going too fast would cause him to run into the thick trunks. Not something he wanted to repeat. His sharp ears caught the sound of voices ahead and he quickened his pace, slipping into a small grove of trees. There stood Quin, Grace, Tak and Bree. Tak and Bree were casually sitting on a large rock chatting away, while Grace lazed on the grass, nodding every so often as Quin chattered away about a new salve he was working on.

"Hey guys am I late?" Arric slipped next to Tak on the rock.

"For once no. Hannah hasn't arrived yet." Grace rolled onto her back and sat up, hugging her knees to her chin.

Since Hannah had taken over the job of leading her Tribe, she had become more and more busy and soon Arric feared that she would no longer be able to make the gatherings they scheduled with the group. It was the one thing he looked forward to every month on the full moon and it was a great time to catch up with the news from each tribe.

"Madame Estella was wondering when you might actually join a Tribe Leader meeting Arric." Bree chided.

Arric blushed in the moonlight and shrugged, "I'm the only one in my tribe, it's not like she can't just come and see me. She knows we meet up every so often."

"How often are you visiting Espeon Tribe?" Tak asked with a low growl.

Even with his new form, Arric was lighter and a little shorter than Tak. He still shuddered under the cold gaze of his friend.

"Oh you know, whenever Madame Estella calls for me. Except when there are meetings." Arric said quickly, "So Quin, that looks like a new salve!"

Quin's eyes widened and he shook his head, "Uh no, I am not getting into this."

Laughter filled the grove as they chatted back and forth. Suddenly Bree froze.

"Someone's coming."

They searched the perimeter on alert when suddenly a figure burst into the trees, her breath heaving, the quills on her back quivering. Bree jumped from the rock and took her sisters hands, "Hannah what's wrong?"

Hannah stopped to catch her breath, her eyes wild as she looked over at each of her friends, their worried faces staring at her.

"It's Volke! He's coming!" She managed to spit out.

Arric leaped up, looking around them, Bree shut her eyes for a moment and then shook her head, "I don't feel anything nearby Hannah, what do you mean?"

"Perhaps you were mistaken Hannah." Arric said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Hannah cleared her throat and stared straight at Arric. A wild and angry look in her eyes, shaped with fear.

"No Arric. I was there. He said he's starting a war."

Thank you for reading the first book in my Eeveelution series! Look out for Book 2 coming soon **"What war will change"**

 **I'd like to give thanks to my sister Phaphah, for if it wasn't for her, this book would have never been finished.**

 **And I would like to thank my youngest brother Bowyn. His love of Eeveelutions was the sole reason I started writing this series.**


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